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THOMAS 
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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 




TIIE GUARDIAN ANGEL. 



HALF HOUR 
' WITH GOD'S HEROES 



OR 



STORIES FROM THE SACRED BOOKS 



By REV. THOMAS DAVID WILLIAMS 



Author of "A Textual Concordance of 
The Holy Scriptures" 



* 




JOHN MURPHY COMPANY 

Publishers 
200 w. lombard street baltimore. md. 






5mprtmatur: 

>%< James Cardinal Gibbons, 

Archbishop of Baltimore. 
Baltimore, December 10, 1913. 



Copyright, 1913, by 
JOHN MURPHY COMPANY 



Press of John Murphy Company, Baltimore 



- 361253 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 

The Angels 9 

Creation of the World 14 

Adam and Eve 20 

The Flood 26 

Abraham 32 

Isaac 42 

Jacob 49 

Joseph 5G 

Job 70 

Moses in Egypt . 74 

Moses in the Desert 86 

Josue 100 

Gedeon 108 

Samson 113 

Samuel 121 

Ruth 128 

Saul 132 

David— Chapter I 142 

Chapter II 151 

Solomon 160 

The Two Kings 169 

Elias 176 

Eliseus 185 

Jonas 194 

The End of the Two Kingdoms. 198 

Jeremias 205 

Tobias 210 

Judith 220 

Esther 226 

Daniel 233 

King Antiochus 247 

The Machabees 253 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



GUARDIAN ANGEL Frontispiece 

FACING PAGE 

THE CREATION 16 

THE FIRST MURDER 24 

BUILDING THE ARK 28 

THE SACRIFICE OF ABRAHAM 40 

REBECCA AT THE WELL 42 

JACOB'S DREAM 49 

JACOB IN THE HOUSE OF LABAN 50 

JOSEPH SOLD BY HIS BRETHREN 56 

JOSEPH MAKES HIMSELF KNOWN TO HIS BRETHREN . . 66 

JOB AND HIS FRIENDS 72 

FINDING OF MOSES 76 

PASSAGE OF THE RED SEA 84 

THE RETURN OF THE SPIES 92 

MOSES RAISES THE BRAZEN SERPENT 96 

JOSUE COMMANDING THE SUN TO STAND STILL 106 

DELILA 118 

DAVID AND GOLIATH 144 

DAVID IN KING SAUL'S TENT. . 148 

JUDGMENT OF SOLOMON 164 

THE FIERY CHARIOT 184 

CHILDREN DEVOURED BY BEARS 186 

ESTHER BEFORE THE KING , 230 

DANIEL IN THE DEN OF LIONS 242 



A WORD TO THE CHILDREN. 

Dear Children : 

These stories are written for you, because you 
like to read books of adventure, telling of strange 
and wonderful things; and I want to show you that 
the stories from the Holy Scripture are just as in- 
teresting as any tales you have ever read. Best of 
all, they are true, for these things all really happened 
in the days of long ago. 

Beginning with the first days of Creation and the 
renewal of the world after the Flood, they tell us 
the history of the race whom God set apart to be 
His chosen people — the Jews. 

Many things happened to them, as they became a 
strong and powerful nation; afterwards, growing 
weaker, they fell a prey to their enemies, were con- 
quered, and were a nation no longer. 

We shall see that as long as they were faithful to 
God and obeyed Him, all went well with them ; they 
grew in power, in riches and in numbers. When 
they turned away from God, and would not serve 
Him, they fell under the power of their enemies, 
and suffered many and terrible things. 

At last, some four thousand years or more from 
the days of Adam, Christ the Saviour came on 
earth, and the Old Law was at an end. 

Every boy and girl should know something of the 
people and the history of the Old Testament. 
These stories have been written to give you that 
knowledge — to put before you in an interesting way 
the lives of those great men who lived from the 
time of Adam to the dawn of the Redemption. 



TO THE OLDER READERS. 

This little book enters a field that seems already 
well filled. But in every garden there is room 
for one more flower, if in that flower is found some- 
thing new in shape or color or scent. 

Perhaps the best claim to any merit this work may 
have lies in this, that it is somewhat different from 
most others of its kind. It enters more into detail 
than most of the Bible Stories hitherto written. 
And in that it gives, perhaps, a broader and more 
extended knowledge of the Bible characters and 
events, may be found its excuse for entering a 
crowded field. 

Grateful acknowledgment is made to Mrs. 
Katherine Seager Offutt, of Washington, D. C, to 
whom I am much indebted for kindly encourage- 
ment and assistance in revising the pages of this 
book. 

Thomas David Williams. 

Brookland, D. C, Dec, 1913. 



THE ANGELS. 

Many thousands of years ago, long before there 
was anyone living on earth, perhaps even before 
there was any world, God made a strange kind of 
being, neither man nor animal. 

This being was a living person, yet it had no 
body. It could see, and had no eyes ; it could hear, 
and had no ears, it could fly about and go whither 
it wished in an instant, and yet had neither wings 
nor feet; it could speak, and had no tongue. 

This was a wonderful being, indeed, far more 
beautiful and more powerful than man. It could 
do many things we could never do, and knew more 
than the wisest man ever knew. It did not need to 
eat and drink to keep up strength and life; it never 
slept, and never grew old or feeble. This wonder- 
ful being was called an Angel. 

None of you have ever seen an Angel, because 
he has no body, and you can see only what has a 
body. But God has told us many things about the 
Angels. 

He made thousands upon thousands of these 
wonderful Spirits, so many that we could not count 
them. 

They were not all equal in power and beauty; 
some were greater than others. In fact, there are 
in heaven nine different classes or choirs of Angels. 

The first and highest, the Seraphim, stood before 
the throne of God, and were the nearest of all to 
Him. After them came the Cherubim, who also 
stood near the throne. It was the Cherubim that 
guarded the gates of Paradise after Adam and Eve 



io HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

were forced to leave the garden on account of their 
sin. Then came the Thrones, the Dominations, the 
Principalities, the Virtues and the Powers. 

When God had some great message of special 
importance, He sent the Archangels; whilst the 
Angels were His ordinary messengers to man, as 
we often read in the books of the Bible. 

Of all the Spirits in heaven, there are only three 
whose names we know — Michael, Gabriel and 
Raphael. 

I must not forget to tell you that when God cre- 
ated the Angels, He did not bring them at once 
into His presence. He wished to try them for a 
while, that they might prove worthy to live with 
Him forever; but what this trial was no one knows. 

It seems that among the Angels there was one — 
some think his name was Lucifer — who became 
very proud. 

Seeing himself so great and beautiful, for he 
was one of the very highest of the Spirits in 
Heaven, he made up his mind that he would no 
longer obey God or serve Him, but would put his 
own throne by the throne of the Almighty, as 
though he were equal to God. 

This wicked Spirit went among the other Angels, 
and gathered together a great number of them. 
One-third of the hosts of heaven followed him and 
refused to obey God any more. 

And now there was war in heaven. God sent 
Michael, with an army of the good Angels, to fight 
the evil Spirits. 

The battle began and ended in an instant. Like 
a flash of lightning, Lucifer and his Angels were 
hurled out of heaven. Down they fell into a fear- 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES n 

ful pit of fire, dark and dreadful, filled with all that 
was horrible and ugly — this was the pit of hell. 

In one instant those beautiful spirits were 
changed into awful looking devils. No longer could 
they see God and love Him; no longer could they 
possess the happiness and joy of heaven; no longer 
could they hear the sweet music of the choirs of 
Angels. But instead, they were buried in a fearful 
prison, tormented day and night, seeing on all sides 
nothing but darkness and misery, hearing only the 
groans and curses of their companions; for they 
were buried in everlasting fire. 

And Lucifer, no longer bright as the sun, became 
Satan, the wicked Devil, the worst in hell. 

Terrible as was this punishment, they deserved 
it. In heaven, they had all that the heart could 
wish; they were beautiful and happy, living in peace 
and joy, loving God and knowing that soon they 
would be nearer still to Him, and would see Him in 
all His glory, as He sat upon the great white throne. 

But they were not satisfied with this ; and because 
they would not obey Him, they lost all, and lost it 
forever. 

In their helpless anger against God, they like not 
to see men gain the place that they have lost ; and so 
they tempt men to sin, and in every way they can, 
try to keep men from heaven, and to drag them 
down to hell with themselves. And worse than all 
is Satan himself, who, unseen, "goes about the 
world like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may de- 
vour." 

Often does the devil come to the door of our 
heart, and whisper to us not to obey God, telling us 
that sin is pleasant and will bring us no harm. 



12 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

We must not believe anything he says, for he is 
a liar, and the father of lies ; and all that he wishes 
is to make us as bad as himself, that we too might 
be cast into hell to suffer with him. 

It was he who took the form of a serpent and 
tempted Eve in the garden of Paradise, telling her 
it was not true that she would die if she ate the for- 
bidden fruit, but, rather, would become as wise as 
God himself. It is he who helps to make men 
wicked and revengeful and proud and envious ; and 
those who listen to him will never be happy, but will 
be punished, just as he is punished. 

After the fall of Satan and his army, God re- 
warded the good Angels who remained faithful to 
Him, bringing them closer to His throne. And 
there they are to this day, happy because they see 
Him in all His splendor and beauty, secure and safe, 
because sin cannot touch them there; and nothing 
now can take them away from Him or do them any 
harm. 

Sometimes God sends the Angels on earth to 
punish evil men. 

When He was angry with the people of Sodom 
and Gomorrha for their wickedness, He sent two 
Angels to destroy their cities with fire and brimstone. 

Once the enemies of the Jews, with many soldiers, 
surrounded the city of Jerusalem to destroy it. In 
the middle of the night an Angel of the Lord came 
and killed all that army of one hundred and eighty- 
five thousand men. 

When the end of the world is at hand, an Angel 
will sound the great trumpet, and call the living and 
the dead to the judgment seat of God. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 13 

, Often has He sent His Angels to comfort and 
help His faithful servants on earth. 

When the Jews were wandering in the desert, be- 
fore they came to the promised Land, God sent an 
Angel to go before them, to guide them and protect 
them. 

Raphael, one of the great spirits that stand before 
the throne of God, once came down on earth in the 
form of a young man. He guided the good Tobias 
on his journey; twice he saved his life; and on their 
return home, restored sight to the poor blind father. 

When God was about to send His own Son into 
the world, the Angel Gabriel came to Mary, and told 
her she was chosen to be the mother of the Son of 
God. When Jesus was born, and the wicked king 
Herod sought to kill Him, an Angel came in the 
middle of the night and told Joseph to arise and take 
the Child and His mother and flee into Egypt. And 
some months after, the Angel appeared again, tell- 
ing him to return now, for Herod was dead. 

You have heard of the awful sufferings of Jesus 
in His passion. The night before He died, He was 
in the garden of Gethsemane praying, and He saw 
all that He was to suffer on the morrow. All the 
wickedness of the world was before him at that 
moment; and in His agony, He cried out to God, 
while blood, like sweat, came from His body, and 
fell, drop by drop, upon the ground. God heard 
His cry and sent an Angel to comfort Him. 

Every day — and even now — God sends His 
Angels on earth to watch over and take care of each 
one of us. 

From the day we come into the world until the 
day we die, there is an Angel always by our side. 



14 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

It is he who keeps harm and evil from us, who 
watches over us and guides our steps ; and when the 
devil tempts us, he it is who whispers in our hearts 
not to listen to him or believe our enemy. It is he 
who offers to God our prayers and the good deeds 
we do; and when we come to die, he stands by our 
side to keep the evil spirit away and to comfort us 
until the soul has left the body; then he goes back 
to heaven, for his work is done. This is our Guard- 
ian Angel. 

We cannot see these beautiful Angels now, but 
some day we shall see them in heaven, if we love 
God and serve Him as they do; and not only shall 
we see them, but we shall live with them and be 
their companions forever. 



CREATION OF THE WORLD. 

A long, long time ago, there was no world. The 
beautiful earth, with its bright flowing rivers and 
streams, its mountains covered with trees and grass, 
its deep silent forests, the bright sun-light, and the 
pale, silvery moon, the thousands of stars set in the 
blue vault of heaven; all these were not. In their 
place was emptiness and darkness, and nothing 
everywhere. And this had been for many millions 
of years and more. 

But God was living all this time, and after a while 
He said to Himself that He would create a world, 
the world we live in today. He could have made 
the world and everything in it in one single minute 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 15 

bad He so wished. He chose rather to make all 
things gradually, one after another. 

The time had now come — this was many thou- 
sands of years ago, remember — and where there was 
nothing before, there appeared an enormous mass, 
without shape or form, dark and void. This was 
the beginning of the earth. 

It is hard to think just what this looked like. 
Imagine, if you can, an immense cloud, dark as the 
darkest midnight, all in confusion, moving around 
and around, without shape or beauty, just as when 
a great storm comes up in the sky, and the clouds, 
growing blacker and blacker, pile one on top of an- 
other, moving in every direction, dark and shapeless. 

After a while, out of this strange, huge mass, 
there arose a light, dim at first, then stronger and 
clearer. 

As the light crept slowly over the earth, the dark- 
ness gave way step by step. God divided the light 
from the darkness ; He called the light Day, and the 
darkness Night. And this was the beginning and 
end of what is called the first day in the creation of 
the world. How long that day was no one knows, 
perhaps many thousands of years. 

AH this time the earth was surrounded on all 
sides with thick, dark clouds or vapors. God now 
separated them; those above the earth became the 
clouds in the sky; those on the earth became the 
great ocean, or sea, that covered the whole world; 
and between these two was the air or atmosphere. 
This was the second day. 

On the third day there rose up in the midst of 
this great ocean, islands, small at first, then growing 
larger; and so the dry land appeared. 



16 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

The earth was yet warm and damp, when out of 
the ground there came forth strange plants, wonder- 
ful and large. One was the Tree Fern, not like the 
fern we have today, but with a thick straight trunk, 
fifteen to twenty feet high. Then there were the 
Tree Rushes, or Reeds, that grew in swamps and 
were as high as a house. 

In the jungles and forests there grew tall, queer 
looking trees, without branches except at the very 
top; these trees were sometimes sixty feet high. 
Others, of which the bark looked like the scales of a 
fish, grew both in the marshes and on the dry land, 
and they too were over sixty feet high. 

In those days all was quiet and silent as death, for 
there were no living animals or birds, only these 
strange looking ferns and reeds and flowerless 
plants and queer looking trees. The days were 
warm and damp, the light was pale and sickly, for 
yet the earth was young. 

And now God said : "Let there be light made in 
the firmament of heaven, to divide the day and the 
night." Slowly there arose from the eastern 
bounds of the heavens, over the hills and plains of 
the earth, a great red ball of fire. Rising higher 
and higher in the sky, it grew brighter and brighter 
and stronger and clearer; and a new light spread 
over the earth, for this was the sun. 

Across the sky it traveled, till it reached its highest 
point and sent down its rays, strong and clear upon 
the earth, scattering the mists and fogs from sea and 
swamp, and bathing all things in a golden light. 
Then it slowly sank to its bed in the west ; and as it 
went below the horizon, the light grew dim and the 




THE CREATION. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 17 

shadows of evening fell; and thus were the morning 
and evening made. 

But see ! When the sun had set, there arose in the 
eastern sky a pale silver ball, beautiful in its calm, 
quiet light; it was the full moon that now, for the 
first time, looked down upon the earth, the queen of 
the night. 

And in the blue vault of heaven thousands of 
beautiful lights appeared; the stars, dotting the sky 
here and there. 

All these God made when He said : "Let there be 
light made in the firmament of heaven." 

As the sun shone brightly on the earth, the air 
grew purer and the trees and plants more beautiful 
and varied. And now there came out of the waters 
strange living creatures that crawled along the shores 
of the rivers and oceans, or lived in the great 
marshes and swamps. 

There were huge lizards, some of them thirty 
feet long, with big head and eyes, and long, thin 
jaws. 

Creatures of the strangest kind were seen flying in 
the air. One of them, the Dragon, or Flying Liz- 
ard, had a long beak, teeth like a crocodile, claws like 
a tiger, and wings like a bat. 

These are some of the strange creatures that God 
created on the fifth day when He said: "Let the 
waters bring forth the creeping creatures having 
life, and the fowl that may fly over the earth under 
the firmament of heaven." 

In the sixth day the world began to look more like 
our own. Trees like the palm, the oak, the maple 
and the beech, were seen in the forests, and the gi- 
gantic reptiles slowly disappeared. 



18 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

Among the animals, there were the hyena and the 
panther, the deer and the camel, the rhinoceros, the 
horse and the dog. But with these were others that 
are now no longer seen on earth, and have been dead 
for thousands of years ; animals strange and fearful, 
huge and strong. 

There was one called the Terrible Animal, one of 
the largest of all the animals of the earth, a kind of 
elephant, eighteen feet in length. Another, called 
the Giant Sloth, was bigger than the largest rhi- 
noceros. 

There was the Mastodon, a huge elephant with 
four tusks instead of two, and the Mammoth, cov- 
ered all over with long woolly fleece, its two great 
tusks curving backward. 

As the world began to grow older and nearer to 
the time when man was to come, these monstrous 
reptiles and beasts disappeared and were gone. 
Those remaining were animals like the kinds we 
know of and meet today. The rivers were alive 
with fish, the air was filled with birds of all kinds, 
the hills and plains were covered with grass, and in 
the forests were seen the trees like those of our own 
day. But there was yet no man upon the earth, no 
one to enjoy the beautiful things God had made. 
So He said to Himself : "Let Us make man to Our 
image and likeness. And let him have dominion 
over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, 
and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creep- 
ing creature.'' 

He took of the red clay of the earth, and out of 
it He formed the body of a man. But this body had 
no life; it was as dead as the clay from which it 
came. Then God breathed into its face His own 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 19 

breath. At once it began to move, and it became a 
living body, the first man. And God called his name 
Adam. 

Adam was different from all the other creatures 
on earth, not only in the shape of his body, but be- 
cause he had a soul that could never die. He was 
made to the image and likeness of God. He could 
understand and know things in a way the animals 
could not. He had free will and could choose be- 
tween good and evil; he could even choose to love 
and serve God, or not, just as he wished. And now 
the work of creation was finished. 

On the seventh day God rested; and He blessed 
that day and made it holy, because in it He had 
rested from all His work which He had created and 
made. 

This is the story of the wonderful work that God 
did when He made the world in six days. All these 
things He did just by His own w r ord. He said : 
"Let these things be made ;" and they were made. 

Great and powerful is the good God who could 
do so much! No wonder, then, we have to fear 
Him and obey Him, and love Him as well. 

All the world, the sun, the moon and the stars, 
are obedient to Him, and they do as He bids them. 

And so must we ; because God made us that we 
might love and serve Him now T , and so live with 
Him afterwards forever in Heaven. 



20 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 



ADAM AND EVE. 

In a certain part of the world there was once a 
beautiful garden. In this garden was everything 
that could delight the eye and charm the senses. 
There were the prettiest flowers of every color and 
shape, and fruit trees of all kinds. Birds of bright 
plumage were flying about and filling the garden 
with the music of their songs ; the air was perfumed 
with the odor of flowers and shrubs. It was never 
winter in this beautiful place; the cold and the 
frost never rested here, for it was one continual 
spring. 

There was in this garden a river, divided into 
four streams, that watered all the land and kept ; t 
green and fertile. 

It was God who made this place. He made it to 
be a home for Adam, and He called it the Paradise 
of pleasure, for Paradise means a garden. 

This garden of Paradise was placed in a country 
called Eden. Where this country was, no one 
knows. Some believe it was in the land we now 
call Armenia, in Asia; others think it was near 
the Persian Gulf, below where the two rivers, the 
Euphrates and the Tigris, meet. 

I must tell you of two very strange trees that 
grew in this garden. One was called the Tree of 
Life; the other, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good 
and Evil. 

If any one were to eat the fruit of the Tree of 
Life, he would never die ; and if he ate of the Tree of 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 21 

the Knowledge of Good and Evil, he would know 
what sin was, and the great difference between good 
and evil. 

When God placed Adam in Paradise, He told him 
he could have everything in the garden he wished, 
except one thing. He must not eat the fruit that 
grew on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and 
Evil, and He added : "In what day soever you shall 
eat of it, you shall die." God brought before Adam 
all the animals and birds, and told him to give them 
a name. Adam gave to each of them a name to be 
called by, and that name they kept for a long time 
after. 

But all this while, Adam was alone, his only com- 
panions were the beasts and birds, and so God said : 
"It is not good for man to be alone ; let us make him 
a help like unto himself." 

One day, therefore, He cast Adam into a deep 
sleep; and took from him one of the ribs of his 
body; and from this rib He built up and made a 
woman. When Adam woke up, he saw by his side 
a most beautiful creature like himself. He held 
out his hands to her and she came to him ; he spoke 
to her and she answered. He called her name Eve, 
for this was the first woman and the mother of ali 
the living. 

For many days they lived a happy, peaceful life. 
Hand in hand they wandered by the paths and woods 
of Paradise, or walked along the banks of the 
streams, listening to the music of the waters and the 
songs of the birds ; they knew no sickness or sadness, 
and they had no fear of death. 

It was a bright and happy life they led in the gar- 
den ; they were innocent and good, and knew no sin. 



22 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

They walked by the side of the lion and the tiger, 
and played with the panther and the leopard. The 
birds would come and light upon their shoulders 
and be fed from their hands, for all was peace and 
happiness in Paradise. 

When evening was come, they would look up to 
the bright stars of heaven and give thanks to God, 
whom they loved, and then sleep the sleep of the 
innocent, to awake, bright and joyful, with the mor- 
row's sun. But dark days were drawing near. 

One day, as Eve was walking in Paradise, she 
came to the middle of the garden, near the Tree of 
the Knowledge of Good and Evil. She saw a ser- 
pent by the side of the tree ; and the serpent began 
to speak to her : "Why has God commanded you not 
to eat of every tree of Paradise?" 

Now this serpent was no other than the devil him- 
self, who had come to tempt Adam and Eve. But 
Eve did not know this, so she answered, "We do 
eat of all the trees of Paradise, except this one. God 
has forbidden us even to touch the fruit of this tree, 
lest we die." "It is not true," said the serpent, "that 
you will die if you eat the fruit of this tree. God 
has forbidden it because He knows that, if you eat 
it, your eyes will be opened and you will be as 
Gods, knowing good and evil." 

Eve began to look more closely at the tree. The 
fruit seemed so tempting and pleasant that she be- 
gan to long for it, and her longing grew stronger 
and stronger. In a moment of weakness, she 
stretched out her hand, took some of the fruit and 
ate it. She called her husband, told him what she 
had done, and he, too, ate of the fruit. 

Hardly had they done this when they knew what a 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 23 

terrible sin they had committed; they were afraid 
and hid themselves in the woods. From their hid- 
ing place they heard the voice of God calling out; 
"Adam, where are you?'' 

Trembling with fear, Adam answered : "I heard 
your voice in Paradise, and I was afraid and hid 
myself." 

"And why were you afraid?" "O Master, I have 
sinned against you and disobeyed your command. 
The woman whom you gave me to be my com- 
panion, offered me some of the fruit of the for- 
bidden tree, and I ate it." 

God said to Eve : "Why did you do this?" "The 
serpent deceived me," she answered. Then God 
spoke to the serpent : "Because you have done this 
and have deceived the woman, all the rest of your 
life shall you crawl on the earth and eat the dirt, 
and you shall be cursed amongst all the animals." 
And to Eve : "Because you have sinned and have 
made Adam sin, you shall have sorrow and suffer- 
ing, and your husband shall be your master." 

Turning then to Adam: "Because you have lis- 
tened to your wife, and not to me, and have dis- 
obeyed my command, you and she shall die. Whilst 
you live, in hard labor and toil shall you spend your 
days, and in the sweat of your face shall you eat 
your bread, till you return to the earth out of which 
you were taken." 

That same day, God told them that they must 
leave the beautiful garden, never to enter it again. 

Slowly and sadly, hand in hand, the sinful couple 
went ; and as they reached the portals of the garden, 
they wept and kissed the ground they were never 
to see again. 



24 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

Passing out into the world beyond, they looked 
back ; and behold ! they saw before the gates of Par- 
adise, Angels, having in their hands swords of fire, 
turning every way, guarding the entrance to that 
happy land, which was never again to be the home 
of human beings. And so Adam and Eve went 
forth, driven by the hand of God; they lost sight of 
the garden and the Angels watching it; and from 
that day to this the eye of mortal has never seen it, 
for soon it disappeared from the earth forever. 

They journeyed on till evening; then, sad and 
weary, lay down upon the ground, and looking up 
to the dark and cloudy sky above, they prayed in 
tears, and so slept. 

Many years passed by. After a while a son was 
born to them, and they called his name Cain; then 
another was born, and him they called Abel. 

Cain became a fanner and tilled the soil; and 
Abel a shepherd who tended his flocks. 

Once, on a certain day, both offered gifts to God. 
Cain offered the fruits of the earth; and Abel, the 
best among his flocks. Cain was sullen and proud, 
and God was not pleased with his gifts, neither 
would He receive them. Abel was kind and gentle, 
and God accepted his offering. This made Cain 
very angry. He began to hate his brother, and soon 
made up his mind to kill him. He invited him, one 
day, to take a walk with him in the fields. They 
went out together. When they had gone some dis- 
tance, suddenly Cain raised his club and with all his 
strength brought it down on the defenceless head of 
his brother, felling him to the ground. For one mo- 
ment he stood looking at the dead body all covered 
with blood; then, dropping his club, fled away in 




THE FIRST MURDER. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 25 

terror. At last he could go no farther. Then he 
heard a voice, as though from heaven; " Where is 
your brother Abel?" "I do not know/' was his 
sullen answer; ''Am I my brother's keeper?" It 
was the voice of God that Cain heard, and God con- 
tinued: "What have you done? Your brother's 
blood is crying out to Me now from the earth. Be- 
cause you have done this wicked murder, you shall 
be cursed, and shall be a fugitive and a vagabond 
on the earth." Then God put a mark upon Cain 
that he bore all the rest of his life. 

Thus was the first murder committed on earth, 
and the punishment of it was terrible. From that 
day Cain knew no rest or peace. Tormented with 
remorse for his sin, he could always see his brother 
as he struck him. Go where he would, he could not 
hide from his eyes the awful sight of that bleeding- 
body. And so, for many years, he wandered from 
place to place in all that country to the east of Eden. 
After a while he married, and many children were 
born to him. He built a city, or village, and called 
it Henoch, after the name of his first born son. 

The Hebrews tell a tale that years after, Cain was 
wandering in the woods one day, when he was 
struck by an arrow, shot by a huntsman who mistook 
him for a wild beast ; and so he died. 

But now we must return to Adam and Eve. You 
can imagine their anguish when they found the body 
of their murdered son. In their bitter sorrow, they 
prayed for comfort and strength. God heard their 
prayer and sent them another son, Seth, who grew 
up a good young man, a comfort and a joy to 
his parents. After him, many more children, both 
sons and daughters, were born to Adam and Eve; 



26 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

and so for many years they lived, surrounded by 
their children, to a ripe old age. 

Which of the two was the first to die, no one 
knows. But when Adam's life was come to a close, 
he had reached the age of 930 years; then his soul 
returned to God, and his body went back to the earth 
from which it had been taken. 



THE FLOOD. 

Not long after the death of Adam, the people be- 
came wicked ; they forgot God who made them, and 
would not love Him or serve Him. 

In those days there were giants living on the 
earth, enormous men, very powerful and strong. 
They fought one against another, and there was 
bloodshed and murder in the land. 

God saw how wicked the world had become, and 
was sorry He had made man. 

Now there was living at this time a man whose 
name was Noe. He was not wicked like the rest 
of the people, for he feared God and served Him. 
He had three sons, Sem, Cham and Japhet, who 
were good like their father, and did not live as those 
around them. 

Often the people would laugh at Noe and say to 
him, "Why do you serve God and live as you do? 
Why not come with us, and eat and drink and be 
merry and enjoy life, and care not for God or any 
one else?" His only answer was : "I love God, and 
I wish to serve Him and please Him, I am happier 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 27 

m doing this, than you are in all your pleasures and 
your sins.'' 

Sometimes they threatened him, and even tried to 
kill him, because they did not like to have among 
them one who was better than themselves. But 
God protected Noe, so that he came to no harm. 

And so they went on, day after day, thinking not 
of God, nor caring for Him, and becoming more and 
more wicked, little knowing that a terrible punish- 
ment was soon to come upon them. 

One day God spoke to Noe: "I am tired of the 
wickedness of men, and I am about to destroy them. 
I shall bring a great flood on the earth, to put an end 
to all living creatures. Because you have not been 
wicked as the rest of men, you and your wife and 
your sons and their wives shall be spared, but every 
other living person on the earth shall die." 

Then He commanded Noe to build an ark, or 
boat, according to certain directions. 

Noe set to work at once, having hired a number of 
men, and with them and his sons, began to build the 
ark. It was a large boat of three stories or decks, 
covered on all sides, having but one door and one 
window, and divided on the inside into a number of 
small rooms. 

Many people came to see the ark ; and they asked 
Noe what he was doing, and what it was for. He 
told them what God was about to do. They laughed 
at him and called him a fool, for they did not be- 
lieve him. Noe kept on with his work, and after 
many days, the ark was finished. Then, as God had 
directed, he gathered together many animals and 
birds, and brought them into the ark. He stored 



28 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

the boat with food for himself and his family, and 
for all the beasts and birds. 

And now God said, "Only seven days remain, and 
then the flood." 

The people went on living as before, and would 
not repent of their wickedness. 

The seventh day came. The people of the city 
had prepared a great feast. As they were eating and 
drinking far into the night, Noe entered the banquet 
hall, and stretching forth his hands, cried out: "O 
foolish people, why will you not believe ? The hour 
is at hand, when you must die. The night is now 
far spent, and the morrow is near. When morning 
breaks you shall not see the sun, for the flood gates 
of heaven will be opened and will pour down its 
waters on the earth for forty days and forty nights. 
If there be any among you who will save his life, 
let him come with me into the ark." 

But not a man of them moved; instead, they 
laughed at him, saying he was a fool, and some 
would have killed him. 

Noe left the hall, and with his wife and sons, and 
their wives, entered the ark, and the door was closed. 

The morning came, indeed, dark and gloomy; 
heavy, black clouds covered the sky; then there 
broke forth such a storm as men had never seen be- 
fore, nor has there been such a one since. The rain 
fell, not in drops, but in sheets. Faster and faster 
it came; the ground was covered; soon the water 
rose to the doors and windows of the houses, and 
higher and higher yet. 

Now men began to be frightened. Some fled to 
the tops of the houses, and some to the higher 
ground, but the water found them there and washed 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 29 

them away. Those who could, fled to the hills, 
thinking there to be safe ; but slowly the Avater over- 
took them. The highest hills were covered, and all 
men and beasts were drowned; the very birds of the 
air, finding no place to rest, sank into the water and 
died. 

For forty days and forty nights it rained upon 
the earth. The flood covered all things, even the 
highest mountains ; and all living beings outside the 
ark were destroyed. 

Only Noe and his family were saved, with the 
animals they had taken with them, for as the water 
rose higher and higher, the ark rose with it, floating 
on the waves. 

At last the forty days were over, the clouds parted 
in the sky, the sun came out and looked down upon a 
strange and terrible scene. The earth was changed. 
Nowhere could any land be seen ; nothing but water 
everywhere, far as the eye could reach ; for the earth 
was one great ocean. Everything was still as death ; 
all things that had sound or life were gone, sunk be- 
neath the waves. And as the evening sun set in the 
western sky, its last rays shone on that strange look- 
ing ark, as it floated on the waters, bearing within it 
the only living beings on earth. 

Day after day, it was the same, morning and even- 
ing, till five months had passed. 

When these days were over, God sent upon the 
earth a wind that began to dry up the waters. 
Slowly, day by day, they grew less and less; and 
towards the end of the seventh month, the ark 
rested on the top of a great mountain, called Ararat, 
in the country of Armenia ; and in the beginning of 



3 o HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

the tenth month the mountains showed their sum- 
mits. 

Noe waited forty days ; then, opening the window 
of the ark, sent out a raven. The raven flew away 
and never returned. Then he sent out a dove; but 
the dove, not finding a place to rest, came back to 
the ark. After seven days, again he sent out a dove. 
This time it returned, bringing in its mouth a little 
twig of an olive tree, green with leaves. So Noe 
knew that the waters had left the earth, and the dry 
land had appeared. Yet he waited another week, 
and sent out the dove again. This time it flew away 
and never returned. Noe opened the door and look- 
ing out, saw that the face of the earth was dry. 
Then God told him: "The flood is over and the 
waters are gone. Go out of the ark, you and your 
family, and take with you all the animals and birds 
and living things that were with you in the boat." 

Noe went to the rooms where all the beasts and 
birds were kept, opened the doors, and let them out 
of the ark. Then, last of all, he and his family left 
the boat. 

As soon as he touched the dry land, he fell down 
on his knees and prayed : "O God, I thank Thee, that 
Thou hast saved us from the flood ; and now I and 
my family will always love Thee and serve Thee 
faithfully, for Thou hast been good to us and hast 
preserved our lives." 

And he built an altar there and placed upon it the 
bodies of cattle and of fowl, offering them as a gift 
to God. 

The Lord was pleased with Noe, and made him a 
promise that He would never destroy the world 
again by a flood ; and He added : "Look up into the 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 31 

heavens, and I will show you a sign; whenever you 
see it, you will remember my promise." 

Looking up, Noe saw a beautiful rainbow, bright 
with its seven colors, shining in the sky ; and this was 
the sign. 

Noe lived 350 years after the flood; and his sons 
had many children who grew up and married and 
had children themselves ; and so the world was peo- 
pled again. Noe lived to the good old age of 950 
years in all, and died honored and loved by every 
one. 

In those days all the people spoke but one lan- 
guage. What that language was, no one knows; 
but it was different from any spoken on earth today. 

After some years had passed, the people began to 
grow more numerous, and they found the country too 
small for them. So they said : "Come let us make a 
city and a tower, the top of which will reach to 
heaven ; let us make our name famous before we be 
scattered abroad throughout the earth." They set 
to work, therefore, and began to build an enormous 
tower, big and strong enough to last forever. But 
God was displeased at this, so He said to Himself 
that He would put a stop to their work. And He 
did it in a very strange way. 

Whilst they were working and the tower was 
growing larger and larger, and higher and higher, a 
a queer thing happened. One morning, as they 
were about to begin the work of the day, they found 
they could no longer understand one another. 
Everything was in confusion and disorder, and they 
knew not what to do. For God, in one hour, had 
changed their speech, so that now, instead of one 
language, there were many, each different from the 



32 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

other. So the work came to an end and the tower 
was never finished, and they called it the tower of 
Babel, for babel means confusion. For many 
hundreds of years afterwards the ruins of this tower 
stood to tell the tale of what had happened to those 
who tried, in their pride, to do what God did not 
wish them to do. 

When the people were forced to stop the work be- 
cause their speech was changed, they separated. 
Many w^ent to far off countries, and in this way the 
different nations and tribes and races began on earth, 
and spread and increased until this present day. 
They became in time the black race of Africa, the 
yellow race of China and Japan, the brown race of 
the Malays, the red men or Indians, and the white 
men of Europe and America. 

The descendants of Sem remained in Asia, and 
from them came the Hebrews ; the children of Cham 
went to Africa, and from them the black race came ; 
the children of Japhet settled in the different coun- 
tries of Europe, and, a long while after, became the 
greatest of all the people on earth. 



ABRAHAM. 

Once upon a time there lived in a certain country 
known as Chaldea, in distant Asia, a man whose 
name was Thare. Among his many children there 
was one called Abraham, of whom I have many 
things to tell you in this story. 

Thare was a descendant of Sem, one of the sons 
of Noe; he was about 70 years of age when Abra- 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 33 

liam was born, and this was about 300 years after 
the Flood. 

The people of the country where Thare lived were 
ignorant and wicked ; they did not love and serve the 
true God, and many amongst them adored idols or 
statues of wood and stone. 

One day Thare determined to leave this place and 
find a home elsewhere. So he took his family and 
all his goods and traveled many days, till he came 
to a beautiful country called Haran; there he re- 
mained for the rest of his life, and died at the ripe 
old age of 205 years. 

Not long after this God appeared to Abraham and 
told him to leave this country and people and go into 
a land which He would show him. "If you do 
this," God promised, "I will bless you and make of 
you a great nation and people." 

Abraham was a good man; he loved God, and 
served him faithfully. No sooner, then, did he hear 
this than, at once, he began to get ready. Taking 
with him Sara, his wife, his nephew Lot, and all 
his servants and his goods, he left his home and his 
country to go into a land that he had never seen be- 
fore. He was not afraid, for he knew that God 
would show him where to go, and would take care 
of him on the way. 

He journeyed on and on for many days, till at 
last he came to a country that, in those days, was 
called Chanaan, but is now known as Palestine, or 
the Holy Land, and there he dwelt for a while, near 
the town of Bethel. He built an altar to God and 
offered upon it gifts of birds and of cattle. 

After some time, there came into all that land a 
great famine ; the corn and the grass failed to grow, 



34 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

and the people began to be hungry, for there was 
not enough to eat. Abraham left Chanaan and came 
to the country of Egypt. Now, there was in this 
country a great king who was known as Pharao. 
This king was powerful and ruled over all the land, 
and every one obeyed and feared him. Abraham 
knew this and was afraid. So when he came into 
Egypt, he said to Sara, his wife: "My life is in 
danger ; for when the king hears about you, he will 
take you away from me because you are so beautiful ; 
and if he knows that you are my wife, he will kill 
me to get me out of the way. When he sends for 
you, therefore, tell him you are my sister; then he 
will be kind to me for your sake, and I will come to 
no harm." 

And so it happened. Hardly had a week passed 
before the king heard that a stranger had come with 
his family and servants into his kingdom, and that 
he had with him a most beautiful woman. He sent 
for them and was kind to Abraham, giving him 
many presents of gold and of sheep and oxen. And 
he said to him: "Let me have your sister, for she 
is a beautiful woman; I wish to have her for my 
wife." 

But God was not pleased with this, and sent a 
grievous sickness upon the king and all his household; 
and that night God told Pharao to send the woman 
back, for she was Abraham's wife. The next morn- 
ing Pharao called Abraham and said, "What have 
you done ? Why did you not tell me she was your 
wife? "I was afraid, O king, that you might put 
me to death," was the answer; "and, therefore, I 
said she was my sister." Then the king restored 
Sara to him, and sent them away in peace. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 35 

Abraham left Egypt, and learning that the famine 
was now over, went back to the country of Chanaan, 
to the place where he had been before, near the town 
of Bethel. 

In the course of time, he and his nephew Lot be- 
came so rich and had so many herds of cattle and 
flocks of sheep, that there was no longer room for 
them both in the same country, and the servants and 
herdsmen of the two began to quarrel among them- 
selves. 

Lot told his uncle that they would have to part, 
as they could no longer live together in peace. 

Abraham was kind and gentle, and no lover of 
strife, and so he said to his nephew : "Do not let us 
quarrel. The whole land is before you; choose 
whatever place you wish. If you go to the right, 
then I will take the left; and if you choose the left, 
then I will go to the right.'' 

Lot saw that the country near the river Jordan 
was rich and fine, so he chose that place and went to 
live in a town near by called Sodom. Abraham 
moved to the southern part of the country of 
Chanaan, to a place called Hebron, and there he 
made his home. 

Some time after, a war broke out in the land; 
several of the kings of the country banded together 
and fought against the city of Sodom, where Lot 
was living. The battle was fierce and long; and 
when it was over, Lot and all his family were taken 
prisoners. One of Lot's soldiers escaped and came 
running to Hebron to tell Abraham that his nephew 
had been captured. Gathering together an army of 
his friends and servants, Abraham followed the 
kings and soon caught up to them. In the middle 



36 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

of the night, whilst the enemy were asleep and not 
thinking of danger, Abraham attacked them and, 
after a sharp fight, defeated them, killing many. 
Lot and his family were rescued and brought back 
in safety to the city of Sodom. 

After the battle, as Abraham was returning home, 
there came to meet him a great man, whose name 
was Melchisedech. He was the king of Salem and, 
at the same time, a priest of the true God. He 
brought with him bread and wine, which he offered 
as a gift to God; and he blessed Abraham in the 
name of the Most High. This is the first time in 
the history of the world that we are told of a priest 
of the true God. 

It was about this time that the Lord came one 
night to Abraham, and showed him in a vision some 
wonderful things that were to take place. He told 
him that soon he would have a son, and from that son 
a great nation would begin, small at first, then grow- 
ing larger and larger. This nation would be the 
slaves of another for four hundred years ; after that 
they would be set free, would return to the land of 
Palestine, and would possess it and grow powerful 
and strong. 

All this God told Abraham long before it took 
place ; for he was speaking of the Hebrews, or Israel- 
ites, who, many years after the death of Abraham, 
were slaves in Egypt for four hundred years, then 
were set free by God, and conquered the whole land 
of Palestine, where they lived for nearly 1 500 years 
— and were living there still when the Saviour came 
on earth. 

One day Abraham was sitting at the door of his 
tent when he saw three men coming towards him. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 37 

As they drew nearer, he arose to meet them and in- 
vited them to come in : "I pray you to stay a while 
with me, and I will prepare a dinner, that you may 
rest and be refreshed before you go on your jour- 
ney." These three men were Angels, but Abraham 
did not know this. 

After they had eaten and had rested for a while, 
they arose as though about to continue on their way. 
One of them said to Abraham : "Where is your wife, 
Sara?" "She is inside the tent." "Your wife has 
had no children," the Angel said, "and this has 
grieved you, but now I tell you that soon a son shall 
be born to her." 

Sara was hiding behind the door of the tent ; she 
heard this and began to laugh, for she did not believe 
it, she being now an old woman. "Why did Sara 
laugh ?'' asked the Angel. "Remember that nothing 
is hard for God to do ; it shall be as I have told you." 

The Angels went on their way towards the cities 
of Sodom and Gomorrha, and Abraham accom- 
panied them a short distance. As they were jour- 
neying on, one of them spoke : "How can I hide any- 
thing from Abraham ? Shall I not tell him what I 
am about to do, since he is a just man and serves 
God well ? We are going to Sodom and Gomorrha, 
to destroy those wicked cities, for the cry of their 
sins has gone up to heaven. The Lord has heard 
it, and has sent us to see if it be true; and if so, to 
burn those cities and all that live in them." 

As soon as he had said this, two of the Angels 
went away towards Sodom; but the one that had 
spoken remained. 

Abraham was struck with fear, hearing these ter- 
rible words; and he began to pray for the people of 



3 8 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

these cities, that God would spare them, for he knew 
that his nephew, Lot, was among them. He be- 
sought the Angel : "Surely you will not destroy the 
just with the wicked. Suppose there be found in the 
city of Sodom fifty just men; will you spare the city 
for their sake ?" The angel answered, "If I can find 
fifty just men in that city, I will not destroy it." 
"But, Lord, suppose there are only forty-five?" "I 
will spare the city for the sake of forty-five." "And 
if there are only forty just men in Sodom?" "I 
will not destroy the city, if I can find forty just men 
there." "But if there are only thirty?" "I will 
save the city for the sake of thirty." "Lord, be not 
angry with me. What will you do if there are 
twenty good men there." "For the sake of twenty, 
I will spare the city." "I beseech you, O Lord, be 
patient with me. Suppose there are in Sodom only 
ten just men; will you not spare them all for the 
sake of these ten?" "Yes," answered the Angel, "I 
will." As soon as he had said this he disappeared, 
and Abraham returned to his tent. In the mean- 
time, the other two Angels had come to the city of 
Sodom towards evening, where they met Lot, the 
nephew of Abraham. He invited them to come to 
his house to rest for the night. 

"No," they said, "we will remain in the street." 
But he urged them to come and stay with him ; at last 
they consented. So he prepared a supper, and they 
ate and rested. 

Now some of the people of the city had seen the 
two strangers enter his house. Soon a crowd 
gathered about the door, and some one called to Lot : 
"Bring out the two men you have with you, that we 
may see who they are." 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 39 

Lot went out to speak to the crowd: "What do 
you want with them ? They are my guests ; I cannot 
give them up to you. Leave them alone." At this 
they cried the more : "If you do not bring them out, 
we will kill them and you too." 

The Angels, hearing this, opened the door a little, 
and Lot ran in just in time, for the men were about 
to seize him. At once the crowd began to push and 
press upon the house in order to break down the 
door, when, in a moment, they were all struck blind. 
They began stumbling and falling over one another, 
for they could no longer see ; and so they went away 
and left the house alone. 

As soon as they were gone, the Angels warned Lot : 
"Have you anyone here for whom you care besides 
your daughters ? Hurry, bring them with you, and 
leave this place at once ; for we are going to destroy 
the whole city and kill every one that is in it." 

Lot hastened at once to the house of two young 
men, who were to have married his two daughters. 
He woke them up: "Hurry, and come with me out 
of the city, for the Lord is about to destroy it." 
They thought he was speaking in jest, and would not 
believe him. "No, we will not leave the city." 
And they would not go, no matter what he said to 
them. 

There was no time to lose, for it was now near 
morning. Lot hurried back to his house and, with 
his wife and two daughters, prepared to leave. 
"Make haste," the Angels cried, "because we can do 
nothing until you leave this place; but, remember, 
do not dare look back when you pass the gate of the 
city; if you do, you shall die." So they left the 
city, and coming to the gate, passed through into the 



4 o HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

country beyond. But as they were going, Lot's 
wife, full of curiosity, wishing to see what had hap- 
pened, stopped and looked back. Hardly had she 
done so when she gave a loud cry, the breath left 
her body, and in a moment she turned into a pillar 
of salt. 

Lot dared not stop, as he was still near the city. 
He hastened on as fast as he could with his two 
daughters, until they came to a little town some dis- 
tance off, where he entered and rested. 

In the meantime there rose up over the cities of 
Sodom and Gomorrha a dark red cloud, and from it 
poured down a fearful storm, not of rain, but of fire 
and brimstone ; everything was burned up, and every 
man and woman and child was killed. 

Far off in the distance, on that same morning, 
Abraham, going out from his tent, looked towards 
the two cities, and saw the ashes rise up from the 
earth, like the smoke of a furnace ; and this was all 
that was left of those wicked cities and of the people 
that dwelt in them, save Lot and his daughters, who 
alone escaped. 

Not long after, Abraham moved again and came 
into the country of a certain king, some distance 
away. 

This king, not knowing that Sara was his w T ife, 
took her away from Abraham ; but God sent a sick- 
ness upon his household, just as he had done to 
Pharao of Egypt; and that night He said to the 
king : "Send back the woman to Abraham, for he is 
a prophet, and he shall pray for you and you shall 
live; but if you will not restore her, you shall surely 
die, you and all your household." 

The king, being afraid, sent for Abraham at once, 





THE SACRIFICE OF ABRAHAM. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 41 

and gave him back his wife, making him many pres- 
ents of slaves and of sheep and oxen. 

Abraham was now a hundred years old ; and for 
a long while he lived in the country of this king, who 
was good and kind to him and always treated him 
well. In the meantime, to his great joy, a son was 
born, and he gave him the name of Isaac. 

Isaac grew up to be a beautiful boy. Abraham 
loved him dearly, especially because he was the only 
child. 

One day God said to the father : "I know that you 
love your son ; but now you must take the child and 
go to a certain place that I shall show you; there 
you shall kill the boy and offer him as a gift to Me." 

Tenderly as he loved his child, Abraham loved 
God more; and so, that very night, he arose, took 
the boy, and traveled for three days till he came to 
a mountain that God had shown him. Going up 
into the mountain with Isaac, he built there an altar 
of wood; then, taking his son, he bound the boy's 
hands and placed him on the altar, and drew out his 
sword to kill him. Just as he was about to strike, 
an Angel from Heaven cried out : "Abraham !" and 
he answered : "Here I am." "Lay not your hand on 
the boy," said the Angel, "and do him no harm. 
Now I know that you fear God and love Him, be- 
cause you did not spare your only son, but would 
have killed him in obedience to the command of 
God. Go back home with your child ; for thus saith 
the Lord : 'Because you have obeyed Me, I will bless 
you and your son, and you shall be the father of a 
great nation, who will possess all this country, and 
will be My chosen people.' " 



42 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

So Abraham and Isaac returned to their home, and 
lived in peace and happiness for many years. 

After some time had passed, Sara, being now 
old and feeble, died at the age of 127 years, and was 
buried in a large cave that Abraham bought from 
the people of the land for four hundred pieces of 
silver. 

Deeply did he mourn for his wife, whom he loved 
so much, and who had been so faithful to him in all 
his wanderings from place to place ; and often would 
he go to her grave to weep and to pray, and thus 
passed many more years. 

And the days of Abraham's life were 175 years; 
and when he died at this good old age he was buried 
in the same cave with Sara, his wife, near Hebron, 
in the land of Chanaan. 



ISAAC. 

I must tell you now the history of Isaac after his 
return from the mountain where he was taken to be 
killed. 

For many years he lived in peace and quiet with 
his mother and father, their only child. When he 
was grown up his father wished to find for him a 
wife, not among the people where he dwelt, but 
from his own kindred in the country of Haran. 

Now, Abraham had in his house an old servant 
whom he trusted in all things. One day he called 
this servant, and said to him : "Take with you many 
servants and camels and presents of different kinds, 




^ 



REBECCA AT THE WELL. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 43 

and go to the city of Haran, where my father used 
to live. You must seek there a wife for my son 
Isaac, and do not return until you have found her." 

At once the servant set out on his long journey, 
and, traveling many days, came at last to the city of 
Haran. He stood near a well just outside the city, 
wondering how he could find a wife for his master's 
son among these strangers. He prayed that God 
would help him: "O Lord, the God of my master 
Abraham, help me today to find a good wife for 
Isaac. Behold, I stand near the spring, and the 
young maidens of the city will come out soon to 
draw water. When I say to them, 'Give me some 
water to drink,' let the one that answers, 'Drink, 
and I will water your camels also/ be the one whom 
you have chosen for Isaac." Hardly had he finished 
his prayer, when out of the gate of the city came a 
beautiful young girl. She went over to the well 
where the servant was standing. "Young woman," 
he cried out, "give me some water to drink." Quickly 
filling her pitcher, she gave it to him, saying : "Let 
me give water to your camels also." "Tell me 
whose daughter you are," said the servant. "My 
father's name is Bathuel, son of Nachor, and my 
name is Rebecca," she answered. The servant knew 
at once that this Nachor, Rebecca's grandfather, 
was Abraham's own brother, and he thanked God, 
Who had heard his prayer, thus guiding him to the 
home of his master's kindred. "But why do you 
stand here, outside the city?" asked Rebecca : "There 
is plenty of room in my father's home. Come in 
and rest for a while, and then you may go on your 
journey." 

So the servant came to the house, and Bathuel, 



44 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

Rebecca's father, went out to meet him and bid him 
welcome. 

That evening a great supper was prepared; but 
just as they were about to sit down, the servant 
spoke : "I will not eat till I have told you why I have 
come on this journey. I am the servant of Abra- 
ham, your uncle; and he sent me here, to this city 
of Haran, to find for his son Isaac a wife among 
his kindred. The very first person I met was your 
daughter Rebecca. Will you give me the girl to be 
Isaac's wife?" The father thought for a while, then 
answered : "This word has come from God, and it 
is His will. The girl is before you ; take her for the 
wife of Isaac, for I know his father, Abraham, to 
be a good and great man, and the son of such a man 
will be a good husband for my daughter." Then 
they sat down to supper, and they feasted and made 
merry till far into the night. 

The next day the servant prepared to depart. 
They called Rebecca, and asked her if she wished to 
go. She consented, and soon they started on the 
journey home, and so, after many days, came back 
to Hebron, where Abraham and his son were living. 

When Isaac saw Rebecca he loved her dearly, for 
she was both good and beautiful; and they were 
married with great feasting and joy. 

They lived happily together for many years, and 
Abraham died, knowing that the blessing of God 
rested on his son, as had beeen promised. 

Isaac was gentle and retiring, and cared not to 
wander from place to place, but remained at Hebron, 
living a quiet, peaceful life. 

After a while two sons were born to them, Esau 
and Jacob. Esau was rude in manner, and the skin 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 45 

of his body was rough and red and hairy. Jacob 
was gentle and affectionate in disposition, and a 
beautiful boy. In the course of time the two grew 
up to manhood. Esau became a skilful hunter, and 
Jacob tended the flocks and herds. 

Esau was his father's favorite, but Rebecca loved 
Jacob more, for he was gentle and loving, and al- 
ways devoted to his mother. 

One day Esau went out into the fields, and was 
gone all day. When evening came he returned, 
faint with hunger. He saw Jacob boiling some pot- 
tage, and asked him for some. At first Jacob re- 
fused; then he said to Esau: "You are older than I, 
and when our father is about to die, you will re- 
ceive his blessing and inheritance, because you are 
the first born. Now give me the right to that, and 
you may have all the pottage you want." "What 
good will my right to our father's blessing do me 
now," answered Esau, "when I am nearly dying of 
hunger? Give me the pottage, and you may have 
the blessing." So Jacob gave him all he wished. 
Esau ate his fill and went away, with little thought 
of what he had done ; but he took good care not to 
tell his father. 

Some time after, there came a great famine into 
all that country, and Isaac and his family were 
forced to leave. At first he thought to go down into 
Egypt ; but God came to him one night and warned 
him : "Go not into Egypt, but go whither I shall tell 
you and remain there." 

So he went to the country of the Palestines and 
dwelt there many days, and in the course of time 
he became very prosperous. The people of that 
country were envious, however, not liking to see 



46 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

this stranger grow rich in their midst. To 
show their spite they stopped up all the wells and 
springs, so that Isaac could find no water for his 
cattle to drink ; and when he digged other wells, the 
people drove him away. The king himself came 
and told him to leave his country, for he was becom- 
ing too rich and powerful. Isaac departed from 
there and went into another part of the land. But 
God was with him and would not let him come to 
harm. One night he appeared to him and comforted 
him: "I am the God of Abraham, your father; do 
not fear, for I am with you; I will bless you, and 
will always protect you." 

Isaac remained, therefore, in that place, and built 
an altar to the Lord. And after some days, the 
king came to him and said : "I see that you are under 
the protection of God, and no one can hurt you. 
Let us be friends and live in peace with each other." 
They made a great feast ; and the next day the king 
returned home, and never troubled Isaac any more. 

So, for many years he lived in that place. After 
a while he began to grow old and feeble; his eyes 
were dim and he could not see. 

One day he called Esau, his eldest son, and said 
to him : "My son, I am growing old, and know not 
the day of my death, nor how soon it may come. 
Before I die, I wish to taste again of your hunting. 
Go, bring me the game you have caught, and cook it 
for me, that I may eat it and bless you before I die." 

I must tell you that the blessing Isaac spoke of 
was given only to the eldest son ; he who received it 
would be, at his father's death, the head of the 
family, and would inherit all his riches and pos- 
sessions. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 47 

It happened that Rebecca was listening behind the 
door, whilst Isaac was speaking, and she heard all 
that was said. 

As soon as Esau had gone, she went quickly to 
Jacob and told him : "My son, go to the pasture and 
get me two of the best kids out of the flock, that I 
may cook some meat for your father, such as he 
likes." Jacob obeyed at once and brought the kids 
to his mother, who prepared them for the table. 
"Now," she said, "Take this dish to your father; 
and when he has eaten it, he will give the blessing 
to you instead of to Esau; for your brother sold it to 
you and you have a right to it." Then she dressed 
him in Esau's clothing, and covered his neck and 
hands with the skin of the kids, that he might seem 
rough and hairy. 

Jacob, dressed like his brother, came into his 
father's tent, bringing the meat his mother had pre- 
pared. 

Hearing the footsteps, Isaac cried out: "Who is 
this coming in?" Jacob answered : "I am Esau, your 
eldest son. I have done as you commanded me; 
and now I have brought you some good meat that I 
know you will like." 

"Come here, my son," said Isaac, "that I may 
know if you are really Esau." He felt his hands 
and neck, and they were rough and hairy, as Esau 
was. "The voice, indeed, is the voice of Jacob, but 
these are the hands of Esau. Are you really my 
son Esau?" "I am," answered Jacob. "Then give me 
the meat, that I may eat it." After he had eaten, he 
kissed his son and blessed him. 

Hardly had he done so, and Jacob had left the 
tent, when Esau came in. Going up to his father, 



4 8 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

he called to him : "Arise, father, and eat, for I have 
brought you the meat from my hunting." "What is 
this?" cried Isaac, "Who are you?" "Why, I am 
Esau, your eldest son." "How can that be? Who 
was it then, that, a few moments ago, brought me 
meat, and I ate it, and I gave him my blessing ? He 
said he was my eldest son." 

When Esau heard this he cried out : "It was Jacob 
who deceived you and received the blessing that be- 
longed to me. But, father, give me the blessing." 
"My son," he answered, "I cannot. I have given it, 
and cannot take it away. Jacob has received it, and 
now it must be his. I have made him master over 
you and your house ; and so it must be." 

And from that day Esau hated his brother and 
determined to kill him as soon as an opportunity 
would come. 

Rebecca suspected this. One day she warned 
Jacob : "Your brother will kill you when he gets a 
chance ; you must leave here for a time. Take my ad- 
vice. Go to my brother, who lives in Haran, and 
stay there till Esau's anger be over ; then I shall send 
for you to come home." So Jacob went away, and 
he dwelt in Haran for many years. 

After some time, Isaac moved back to Hebron, 
where his father Abraham had lived; and he dwelt 
there for a long time in peace and quiet, but always 
hoping to see Jacob again before he died. 

And so he did, for after many days, Jacob came 
home; and his father and brother both welcomed 
him back, for Esau had forgotten his anger against 
him. 

Not long after, Isaac grew weaker and weaker, 
for he was now 180 years old; and with both his 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 49 

sons at his bedside, he died and was buried in the 
great cave near Hebron, with Rebecca his wife, by 
the side of his father and mother. 



JACOB. 

Now we come to the story of Jacob's life after he 
left his father's home, to escape his brother's anger. 
You remember Jacob had gotten the blessing in- 
tended for his older brother, and Esau was so angry 
he but awaited a chance to kill him. 

Knowing this, Rebecca called Jacob one day and 
said to him : "Your brother does not love you, and 
even wishes to kill you when the chance will come. 
It is better for you to leave here for a while, until 
his anger is over. Go to your uncle Laban, who 
lives in Haran." Jacob obeyed his mother, and, 
having obtained his father's consent, set out on his 
journey. 

He traveled all day long, and when evening came, 
he was tired. Throwing himself on the ground, he 
was soon fast asleep. And as he slept, he saw a 
wonderful vision, a great ladder reaching from the 
ground up to the sky. On this ladder the angels of 
God were going up and down; the Lord Himself 
was leaning upon the top of the ladder,and He spoke 
to Jacob : "I am the God of Abraham and of Isaac, 
your father. The land on which you are now sleep- 
ing I will give to you and to your children. Be not 
afraid, for I will be with you on your journey and 
I will bring you back safely to your father and to 



50 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

your home." Jacob woke up, trembling, but he was 
greatly comforted when he remembered that God 
had told him He would take care of him and see that 
he came to no harm. He continued his journey, 
and at last arrived at the city of Haran, where his 
Uncle Laban lived. He sat down by a well near 
the gate of the city, and, seeing some shepherds near 
by, he asked them : "Do you know a certain Laban, 
who lives in this place?" "Of course we do," they 
replied; "he is a rich man and well known in the 
city, and here comes a daughter of his now; her 
name is Rachel." Indeed, as they were speaking, 
there came toward the well a beautiful young 
maiden, with a flock of sheep which she was bring- 
ing to water. Jacob, knowing then that she was his 
cousin, went up to her and kissed her, telling her he 
was the nephew of Laban, her father. Rachel was 
glad, and hurried back home to tell her father, who 
came out to meet Jacob and brought him into his 
house, and there they feasted and made merry for 
many days. 

Now Laban had two daughters — Lia, who was 
blear-eyed and ugly, and Rachel, who was very 
beautiful. 

Jacob loved Rachel, and one day he said to her 
father : "I will work for you seven years if you will 
give me Rachel for my wife." Laban agreed to 
this, and for seven long years Jacob took care of his 
uncle's cattle and sheep. 

At last the seven years came to an end. Laban 
made a great feast ; and that evening he gave to Jacob 
for his wife, not Rachel, as he had promised, but 
Lia, the blear-eyed daughter. 

Jacob was very much displeased at this ; but what 




JACOB IN THE HOUSE OF LABAN. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 51 

could he do? He was in his uncle's power. He 
was obliged to take the young woman, but he com- 
plained to Laban, "Why have you deceived me ? I 
have worked hard for you during all these years, 
and you said you would give me Rachel." "Lia is 
the older of the two," answered Laban; "and it is 
the custom in this country to give the older first. 
But if you will promise to work for me seven years 
more, I will give you Rachel." 

Jacob promised; then he and Rachel were mar- 
ried, and for seven years more he worked for his 
uncle. When the time had elapsed, he proposed to 
Laban: "I will work for you six years more if, at 
the end of that time, you will divide your cattle and 
sheep between us. Give me all that are speckled and 
spotted; and all that are of one color, either white or 
black, keep for yourself." Laban agreed to this, for 
he thought that his share would be the larger; but 
when the six years were over, Jacob had more than 
his uncle. And now Jacob made up his mind to 
leave the city and go back to his father, Isaac, whom 
he had not seen for twenty years. So, one day, he 
quietly gathered together all his possessions, and, 
with Rachel and Lia, set out secretly on his journey 
towards home. 

He had not gone far before Laban, discovering 
his absence, went in pursuit, and soon was about to 
overtake him. 

Laban stopped to rest for the night, however, 
and, whilst asleep, heard a voice : "See to it that you 
speak not anything harsh against Jacob, nor do him 
any harm." He knew it was the voice of God, and 
was afraid. 

The next day he overtook his nephew and re- 



52 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

proached him mildly : "Why did you run away from 
me like a thief? I can take away from you every- 
thing you have, if I wish, and bring you back by 
force. But God warned me last night to do nothing 
against you. Go, therefore, on your journey in 
peace." With these words, Laban departed, and 
Jacob continued his journey towards his father's 
home. 

As he came nearer, he began to grow afraid, for 
he did not know how Esau would receive him. He 
sent messengers to his brother to say that he was 
coming to see him. They returned with the news 
that Esau was on his way with an army of four 
hundred men. At this, Jacob was still more afraid. 
He divided his flocks and herds into two parts, for 
he thought that if one were destroyed, the other 
might be saved. Again he sent messengers to his 
brother with many presents, and early the next 
morning prepared to go on. He waited till every 
one, servants and all, had gone before him; and 
when he was alone, he knelt down and prayed that 
God would protect him against his brother's anger. 
Whilst he was praying, an Angel, in the form of a 
man, came down from heaven. Jacob caught hold 
of him and held him till break of day : "Let me go," 
cried the Angel, "for it is now morning." "I will 
not let you go," was the answer, "till you bless me." 
And the Angel blessed him and promised that no 
man would harm him: "For," he said, "if you have 
been strong against me, how much stronger will you 
be against a man !" Saying this, he disappeared. 

The sun had now risen, and Jacob went forward, 
walking behind the rest with Rachel, his wife. They 
had not gone far when, in the distance, he, saw his 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 53 

brother's army coming towards him. Nearer and 
nearer they came. He could see his brother at their 
head, and he was afraid to move or speak. But 
Esau ran up to him and embraced him, clasping him 
fast about the neck and weeping for joy; for God 
had changed his heart. Long ago he had forgotten 
all his hatred and anger, and he loved his brother 
now and was glad to see him again. And from that 
day they were good friends and loved each other as 
brothers should. But Jacob could not yet see his 
father, because God commanded him to go to Bethel, 
instead, and remain there a while. 

Now Bethel was the same spot where Jacob slept 
one night when fleeing from his brother, and in his 
sleep saw the Angels of God going up and down the 
great ladder that stretched from earth to heaven. 

When he arrived there this time, God appeared to 
him again, and told him he was no longer to be 
called Jacob, but his name would now be Israel, and 
it is after him the Jews are also called Israelites. 
And God added: "I am Almighty God. Nations 
and peoples shall come from you ; and the land which 
I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give also to you 
and to your children." 

This promise was fulfilled hundreds of years 
after. For Jacob had twelve sons, and from them 
came the twelve tribes of Israel, who afterwards 
conquered all the land of Palestine and became a 
great and powerful nation. 

After some time Jacob left Bethel and came to 
Bethlehem, and there Rachel was taken sick and 
died. Her husband mourned over her many days, 
for he loved her faithfully. He built a great column 
over her grave at Bethlehem before leaving that 



54 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

place. When at last he came to his father's home 
in Hebron, there was a happy meeting. Isaac wept 
with joy as his son knelt at his feet, after an absence 
of so many years, and he begged him not to leave 
him again. So Jacob remained; and not very 
long after, Isaac died and was buried in Hebron by 
the side of Rebecca, his wife. 

Esau lived some distance away, but Jacob re- 
mained in the land of Chanaan for many years. 

Among his twelve sons there was one named 
Joseph, whom he loved above all the rest. I shall 
have many things to tell you in another story about 
this son and all that happened to him. But this 
much I must tell you now, that his brothers hated 
him through envy, and one day they sold him to 
some merchants, who were going to Egypt; then, 
coming, they told their father he had been killed by 
a wild beast. Jacob mourned for a long time over 
his son, thinking him to be dead. 

After some years had passed, a great famine came 
into all the country around and the people could get 
no bread to eat ; but they were told that in Egypt 
they could buy all they wanted, for there was plenty 
there. 

So Jacob sent his sons into Egypt with a sum of 
money to buy wheat. To their great surprise, they 
learned that Joseph was living there and was a friend 
of the king. 

On their return they told their father that Joseph 
was in Egypt, and had sent for him to come there 
and live. As the famine continued, Jacob made up 
his mind to go, without delay, and taking his family 
and his goods, he set out on the journey. One night 
whilst he was resting on the way, God spoke to him : 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 55 

"Fear not; but go down into Egypt. I will be 
with you there and will bring you back again ; and 
from you a great nation will come." Jacob contin- 
ued on his way, and at last reached Egypt. Joseph 
went out to meet him. When he saw his father in 
the distance, he ran, and falling into his arms, kissed 
him, weeping for joy. 

Joseph brought his father and brothers to a beauti- 
ful country called Gessen, in the land of Egypt, 
where there were large pastures for their flocks and 
herds. After a while he took his father to see the 
king, who was very kind to him. Among other 
things, the king asked Jacob how old he was. "The 
days of my pilgrimage on earth are 130 years, few 
and evil," was Jacob's answer; "and they are not 
come up to the days of my fathers." Then Pharao 
gave him many presents, and dismissed him in 
peace. 

Jacob remained with his sons in the land of Ges- 
sen, and Joseph came often to see him from Pharao's 
court. When, seventeen years later, he was about 
to die, he sent for Joseph and, with all his children 
around him, he blessed them and told them many 
things that would happen in the years to come. 
And he added : "I am dying now ; but swear to me 
that when I am dead, you will take my body away 
from here and bury me in the cave at Hebron, where 
my father Isaac and my mother lie buried." They 
promised, and he closed his eyes and peacefully died. 

Joseph reverently bent down over his father's 
face, caressing the grey locks, weeping and kissing 
him. Then he commanded his servants to embalm 
the body. After mourning for him forty days, 
Jacob's sons set out with a great number of friends 



56 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

and servants for the land of Chanaan; and there 
they buried him by the side of Isaac and Rebecca, in 
the cave at Hebron. 



JOSEPH. 

Among the twelve sons of Jacob there was one, 
as you will remember, whose name was Joseph. He 
was kind and gentle in manner, like his mother, 
Rachel. Jacob loved him above all his other sons, 
and to show his love gave him a beautiful coat of 
bright and pretty colors. His brothers, seeing this, 
were full of envy and hatred, and ill-treated and 
abused him whenever they could. This made Joseph 
very sad, but he would not quarrel with them, for 
he loved not strife nor anger, and he prayed that 
God would change their hearts. 

One night he had a strange dream; "As I was 
asleep," he told them, "I thought in my dream that 
we were binding sheaves of wheat in the field. My 
sheaf arose and stood up straight, but your sheaves 
stood around mine and were bowing down before 
it." 

This made the brothers still more angry : "What 
do you mean ?" they cried out, "Are you going to be 
our master? And will we be subject to you and 
obliged to obey you?" 

Not long after that he told them of another dream. 
"During the night, whilst I was fast asleep, I saw in 
my dream the sun and the moon and eleven stars, 
and they began to worship me." 




JOSErH SOLD BY HIS BRETHREN. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 57 

At this even his father rebuked him. "My son, 
what does this mean ? Shall I and your mother and 
your brothers worship you ?" 

It happened that sometime afterwards, the sons of 
Jacob were tending their flocks at a distance, but 
Joseph stayed at home with his father. Jacob sent 
him to see how his brothers were getting along. 
Joseph at once set out to seek his brothers, and found 
them after two or three days' search. 

Seeing him in the distance, they said one to 
another: "Here is the dreamer coming; let us kill 
him, and then we shall see what good his dreams 
will do him. We can tell his father that some wild 
beast devoured him; he will never know the truth." 
But one of them, Reuben, did not wish to have the 
boy killed. "No, do not kill him," he exclaimed. 
"Remember he is your brother. Would you stain 
your hands in your brother's blood? See, here is 
a dry well; let us put him in it and keep him 
there." He said this, because he meant, when night 
was come, to take Joseph out of the pit and send 
him home. 

They agreed to this; and as soon as Joseph had 
come up to speak to them, they seized him, took away 
his coat of pretty colors, and threw him into the pit. 
Then they sat down to take their dinner, and whilst 
they were eating, there came along some merchants 
on their way to Egypt. Seeing these men, an idea 
came to Juda, one of the brothers, and he said to the 
rest: "What is the good of killing our brother? 
Let us sell him to these merchants and divide the 
money among us." 

This pleased them; so they pulled Joseph out of 
the pit and told him what they were going to do. 



S8 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 



The boy began to cry, and begged them not to take 
him away from his home and his father : "Remem- 
ber I am your brother; and if you do this wicked 
thing, God will punish you." They would not listen 
to him ; but, calling the merchants, they sold Joseph 
for twenty pieces of silver. The merchants took the 
boy, still crying and pleading, and, setting him on 
one of the beasts, continued on their way to Egypt. 

In the meantime, Reuben, who was not present 
when this took place, went over to the pit to look 
for Joseph. Not finding him, he asked: "What 
have you done with the boy?" "There is no use in 
your looking for him," they answered, "for you 
will never see him again." And they told him what 
they had done. Then they took Joseph's coat and 
dipped it in the blood of a kid they had just killed, 
after which they sent it by a messenger to their fa- 
ther, saying: "We found this coat all covered with 
blood in a field not far from where our flocks were 
feeding, and we thought it might be Joseph's coat." 
The father recognized it at once, and cried out in 
his grief: "It is my son's coat; a wild beast has de- 
voured him ; my son is killed !" 

The brothers soon came home and tried to console 
their father, pretending they were sorry Joseph was 
dead. But Jacob would not be comforted : "Leave 
me alone;" he cried. "I shall go down to the grave 
in sorrow and tears, for my son is dead, killed by a 
wild beast." 

In the meantime, the merchants who had bought 
Joseph, went on their journey, and at last came into 
Egypt, where they sold the boy to a man named 
Putiphar, a friend of the king, and the captain of all 
his soldiers. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 59 

But God was with Joseph and took good care of 
him. He soon found favor with Putiphar, who 
placed him in charge of all his household. And he 
did so well that his master grew richer and richer, 
and God blessed him for the sake of Joseph; and so 
all things went on well for quite a while. 

Now Putiphar had a wife who was a very bad 
woman ; she hated Joseph because he was good and 
virtuous. One day she went to her husband and 
falsely accused Joseph of a very wicked crime. The 
man believed his wife, and in his anger threw Joseph 
into prison ; and there he remained for a long, long 
time. After a short while, though, the keeper of the 
prison, who had taken a great liking to Joseph, put 
him in charge of all the prisoners. 

Now it happened that in this same prison, and at 
this time, there were two men who had displeased 
the king; one was his chief butler, and the other his 
chief baker. 

As Joseph was tending the prisoners, he came one 
morning to give them their breakfast, and he noticed 
that these two men were more sad and downcast 
than before. He asked them why they were so sad 
that morning. They told him that each of them the 
night before had had a strange dream they could 
not understand, and were afraid. "What were 
your dreams ?" said Joseph ; "perhaps I can tell you 
what they mean. God knows all things, and He 
may let me know their meaning." 

The chief butler told his dream first : "I was in a 
sound sleep, and I saw a vine before me, and on this 
vine were three branches. After a while the buds 
appeared, then the blossoms, and then the ripe grapes. 
The cup of Pharao was in my hand. I took the 



60 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

grapes and pressed the juice out of them into the 
cup, and offered it to the king, then I woke up." 
Joseph answered him : "This is the meaning of your 
dream. The three branches are yet three days that 
remain. After they are passed, Pharao will remem- 
ber how faithfully you have served him. He will 
take you out of this prison and restore you to the 
position you had before; and you will hold the cup 
for him again, as you have often done in the days 
gone by. Only remember me when it will be well 
with you, and do me the kindness to ask Pharao to 
take me out of this prison; for I was stolen away 
from my father and my country, and was cast into 
this prison through no fault of mine.'' 

Then the chief baker told Joseph his dream ; and 
this is what he saw: "I dreamed that I had three 
baskets upon my head, and in the top basket were all 
kinds of pastry that I was accustomed to make for 
the king; and the birds came and ate out of it." 

Joseph told him: "This is the meaning of your 
dream : The three baskets are yet three days. After 
they are passed, Pharao will cut off your head and 
hang your body on a cross, and the birds of the air 
will come and eat the flesh of your lifeless body." 

Sure enough, three days after this, the king had a 
great feast, for it was his birthday ; and while they 
were eating and drinking, he remembered his two 
servants whom he had cast into prison. He sent 
for the chief butler, brought him back to the palace, 
and restored him to his place ; but, being still angry 
against the chief baker, he ordered that his head 
should be cut off and his dead body hung on a cross. 

When the chief butler recovered his place, he for- 
got all about Joseph and let him stay in his prison; 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 61 

and there he remained for two long years. But God 
had not forgotten him, as we shall soon see. 

After these years had passed, Pharao had a 
strange dream one night. He thought in his dream 
that he stood by the river ; and as he stood, he saw 
seven cows come out of the water; they were very 
fat and fine looking, and were feeding in the marshes 
and swamps near the river. Right after this there 
came out of the water seven other cows, lean and 
ugly, and they began feeding on the green grass by 
the banks of the river; and seeing the fat cows, they 
went up to them and devoured them. Pharao woke 
up; but soon went to sleep again and had another 
dream. He was in a field and saw a corn stalk, and 
out of it grew seven ears of corn, large and fine. 
Then there came seven other ears, but they were thin 
and blighted, and they devoured and destroyed all 
the beauty and ripeness of the first seven. When 
morning came Pharao called all the wise men and 
magicians and fortune-tellers, and spoke to them 
about his dreams, but no one could tell him what 
they meant. 

Then the chief butler thought of Joseph, and he 
said to the king : "You remember, O king, that two 
years ago, you were angry with me and your chief 
baker, and you cast us into prison. Now there was 
at the same time in the prison a young man from 
Palestine. We related to him one day, a dream we 
both had, and he told us the answer. It was that I 
would be restored to your favor, and the chief baker 
would be put to death; and it happened just as he 
had said." 

When the king heard this, he sent word to have 
Joseph brought to him. So Joseph was taken out 



62 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

of the prison and, as he stood before Pharao, the 
king said to him : "I have had two dreams, and there 
is no one who can tell me what they mean. Can 
you tell me?" "Only God can know these things," 
answered Joseph ; "but perhaps he will let me know 
their meaning. What are your dreams?" Pharao 
told him what he had seen in his sleep. "O king," 
Joseph replied, "The two dreams mean one and the 
same thing ; and by them God has shown you what is 
about to take place. The seven fat cows and the 
seven full ears of corn are seven years of plenty that 
will come upon this land; and the seven lean cows 
and the seven blighted ears of corn are seven years 
of famine. So the dream means this : There shall 
be in all this country seven years of great plenty, 
when the harvest will be full and all things will grow 
in abundance. After this will come seven years of a 
famine so terrible, that all the abundance before 
shall be forgotten, and the famine shall consume all 
the land. 

Therefore, let the king provide a wise and in- 
dustrious man, and make him ruler over the land of 
Egypt, that he may appoint overseers over the whole 
country who will gather into barns the fifth part of 
all that grows during the seven years of plenty; and 
let all the corn be saved and laid up in the cities 
under Pharao's care. Then when the famine comes, 
we will be prepared for it, and the people will not 
die of hunger." 

This pleased Pharao, and he said to Joseph: 
"Since God has shown you all these things, where 
shall I find a wiser man than you? Behold I place 
you now in command of my whole house and make 
you the ruler of Egypt. All men shall obey you, 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 63 

and only I shall be above you. Do all that you have 
said, and you will be the saviour of Egypt." Then 
he took his own ring and put it on Joseph's finger, 
and he clothed him in a robe of silk and hung a chain 
of gold about his neck. He made him ride through 
the city in a great chariot, next to his own, and a 
herald went before, crying out: "This is he whom 
Pharao has made governor of all Egypt; let every 
man obey him/' 

In truth, what Joseph had said now came to pass. 
For seven years there was an abundance of every- 
thing that grew, of all kinds of grain and grass and 
fruits. All this while, Joseph was gathering them 
up in barns and storehouses through all the land of 
Egypt; and there was so great an abundance, that 
it was equal to the sand by the seashore. Then the 
famine came, and everywhere the grass withered, 
the wheat and the other grains no longer grew. 

When the people began to be hungry they cried to 
the king to give them food ; and he told them : "Go 
to Joseph, do whatever he will say to you, and he 
will give you food." Joseph opened the store- 
houses, and sold the grain to the people, and the 
money he gave to the king, so that he soon became 
richer than ever. When their money was gone, the 
people gave their lands to the king for food, and 
Pharao grew more and more prosperous every day. 

In the meantime, far off in the country of Pales- 
tine, the famine was felt, and the people began to 
be hungry. Jacob heard they were selling corn in 
Egypt, and sent his sons to purchase some. His 
youngest son, Benjamin, he kept at home, fearing 
that some evil might happen to him. The brothers, 
taking money to buy whatever was needed, set out 



64 HALF HOUR, WITH GOD'S HEROES 

on their journey. On their arrival they went at 
once to the governor. No sooner did Joseph see 
them than he recognized his brothers, but he pre- 
tended not to know them. And so greatly had he 
changed in appearance, that they did not dream this 
was their own brother, whom they had sold many 
years before. 

Joseph determined to try them and see if their 
hearts were changed. So he spoke roughly : "Who 
are you, and whence do you come ? "We are from 
the land of Palestine, and our father's name is 
Jacob. We have come here to buy corn, for the 
famine is in our land." "That is not so," said 
Joseph; "you are spies, and you have come to find 
out all about our country, to go back and tell your 
master." 

"Oh no, my lord," they answered ; "we are peace- 
able men, and have come simply to buy food. Our 
father is an old man, and we left him and his 
youngest son at home, for he would not let the boy 
come, lest some evil should happen to him on the 
way." "If what you say is true, go back to your 
father and bring your young brother to me, that I 
may see him. I shall keep one of you here in prison 
until the others return; if you bring back the boy, I 
shall believe you." 

Then they were in great fear, and knew not what 
to do; and they said one to another : "We deserve to 
suffer this, because we sinned against Joseph when 
we sold him to the merchants; and when he cried 
and begged us not to let him go, we would not lis- 
ten." 

They did not know that Joseph understood every 
word they spoke; but he did, of course, and he was 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 65 

pleased, since it showed they were sorry for the evil 
they had done. 

He commanded one of them, Simeon, to be cast 
into prison. Then he filled their sacks with wheat, 
all they could carry, and in the top of each sack he 
put back the money they had given in payment. "Go 
back to your father, now," he said. "When you re- 
turn with the boy, I will release Simeon. But if 
you do not bring back your young brother, you can- 
not come here again." The brothers set out on the 
journey home, but they had not gone far, when one 
of them, happening to open his sack, found the 
money. Then all of them opened their sacks, and 
there, on the top, lay the very money they had paid 
out for the corn. They did not know what to make 
of it, and asked each other what it could mean. 

At last they arrived home and told their father all 
that had happened. 

Jacob listened in astonishment. "Alas !" he cried 
out, "what have you done ? Joseph is dead, Simeon 
a captive, and now you will take Benjamin away. I 
will not let him go." "Father," said Reuben, "Let 
the boy go with me. I will bring him back to you 
safe and sound." But Jacob would not let him go. 

After a while they had eaten up all the corn, and 
Jacob bade them go down again into Egypt, to buy 
some more. 

"We dare not go into Egypt again," they said, 
"without the boy, for the governor told us : 'Unless 
you bring your youngest brother, you shall not see 
my face again.' " Still Jacob refused. Then Juda 
said : "Father, let Benjamin come with me. I will 
take care of him ; and I will die, rather than let any 
harm come to him." At last Jacob consented and 
5 



66 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

sent them with the boy and with many presents for 
the ruler. 

They came again into Egypt and asked to see the 
governor. But they were afraid, too, and said to 
the steward of the house: "Sir, we came down here 
once before to buy food, and paid for it; but when 
we were returning home, we found the money in our 
sacks. We know not how it came there, so we 
have brought it back to you." 

"Do not be afraid," the steward answered, "it 
was God who gave it to you, for I have the money 
you paid." 

They went in then to see the ruler. Joseph 
treated them courteously, and when he saw Benja- 
min he kissed him, then hurried out of the room, for 
he could not keep back his tears. When he returned 
he brought with him Simeon, whom he restored to 
his brothers, and they all sat down to a great feast 
prepared for them. 

In the meantime Joseph commanded his steward 
to fill their sacks again, and to put back the money 
they paid for the corn. But in Benjamin's sack he 
put his own silver cup, and sent them away on their 
journey home. 

Hardly had they left the city when Joseph de- 
spatched his steward after them, who overtook them, 
crying out ; "Why have you stolen my master's silver 
cup?" They denied it indignantly: "We are not 
thieves; we have not stolen the cup. If you find 
it in our sacks, we are willing that the man with 
whom it is found shall die, and we will all be the 
slaves of the governor." 

They opened their sacks, and the steward looked 
first into one, then into another; when he came to 




JOSEPH MAKES HIMSELF KNOWN TO HIS BRETHREN. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 67 

Benjamin's sack, he found the cup. At this they 
all cried out in wonder and fear, and returned at 
once to the city. Juda went up to Joseph : "Sir, he 
said, "we do not know how this happened, for 
neither the boy nor we had taken your cup. When 
I asked my father to let his youngest son come with 
me, I promised that no evil would happen to him. 
And now, I beseech you, let me be your slave, and 
let the boy go home." "Not so," said Joseph; "but 
he shall be my slave in whose sack the cup was 
found." Then they all besought him most earnestly 
not to punish the boy, but to punish them in his 
stead. At this Joseph could no longer keep back 
his tears, for he saw that their hearts were changed. 
"Be not afraid,'' he said, "I am Joseph, whom you 
sold into Egypt ; you are my brothers and Jacob is 
my own dear father. It was God who sent me into this 
country, that your lives might be saved and you have 
food to eat. God has protected me and made me, 
as it were, a father to Pharao, lord of his whole 
house and governor in all the land of Egypt. 

"Hasten back to my father, and tell him: 
'Your son Joseph is living, and is lord of the whole 
land of Egypt. He sends for you to come to him 
and to make your home with him, for there are five 
more years of this famine still to come. He will 
feed you and give you the best there is in the land.' " 

When they heard this they were overjoyed, and, 
crowding around him, they begged with tears that 
he would forgive the cruel sin they had committed 
against him. Joseph kissed them and again bade 
them not to be afraid, for it was the will of God 
that he should be sent into Egypt to save them from 
the famine that was to come. 



68 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

Pharao heard that Joseph's brothers had arrived 
in Egypt. He was glad, and gave orders to them : 
"Go back into your country and bring your father 
here; the best the land can give shall be his and 
yours." 

The sons of Jacob did as they were bidden. They 
returned to Chanaan and told their father all that 
had happened; that Joseph was living and was the 
ruler in all the land of Egypt, second only to the 
king. "I will go to my son," said Jacob, "that I 
may see him again before I die." 

They all set out on their journey forthwith. As 
they were resting one night on their way, God ap- 
peared to Jacob, telling him not to fear, but to go 
down into Egypt, so that Jacob felt still more en- 
couraged. When he came into the country of Ges- 
sen, a part of Egypt, Joseph met him, and falling on 
his father's neck, he kissed him and wept for joy, 
for he loved him dearly, and for many a long year 
had hoped and prayed to see him once more. 

Joseph took his father and brothers without delay 
to see the king, whereupon Pharao gave orders that 
they were to have the whole land of Gessen to live 
in and there tend their flocks and herds, and during 
the rest of the famine, Joseph fed them and gave 
them all they could wish for. 

All this while Joseph lived at the court of Pharao, 
but often went out to Gessen to see his father and 
brothers. After seventeen years had passed, when 
Jacob was about to die, Joseph came to him, watched 
over him in his last days, and, when death came, 
closed his eyes, dutifully and lovingly. 

For forty days they mourned for Jacob ; and when 
the days were over, Joseph and his brothers took 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 69 

their father's body out of Egypt, back into the land 
of Palestine; and there they buried him by the side 
of Abraham and Isaac. 

When they returned into Egypt, the brothers be- 
gan to be afraid, and they said one to another : "Now 
that our father is dead, Joseph will remember the 
evil we once did him, and he will be revenged on us." 
So they went to him and begged that he would do 
them no harm. He answered them kindly and 
gently : "Do not be afraid. It is true, you thought 
evil against me, but God turned it into good; and 
why should I desire revenge when God has been so 
kind to me ? No, no ! I shall do you no harm ; long 
ago I have forgotten the evil you did. I shall feed 
you and your children, and take good care of you as 
long as I live.'' 

Joseph kept his promise. For many years he con- 
tinued to live at Pharao's court, and was married 
and had children and grandchildren. He lived to 
the age of no years. When he felt that he was 
about to die, he called his brothers and said to them : 
"Many years after my death, your children and your 
grandchildren will become a great nation, and God 
will take them out of Egypt, back into the country 
from which we came. When this comes to pass, 
see that my bones are taken away, that I, too, may 
rest near my father, in the land of my birth." Say- 
ing this, he died ; and his body was placed in a coffin, 
to rest in Egypt until the day when God would call 
his people back into the land from which they came, 
the land of Palestine. 



;o HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 



JOB. 

A long time ago, in the days of the patriarchs of 
old, there lived in the country of Arabia, in the land 
of Hus, a very wealthy man whose name was Job. 
He had many thousands of sheep and camels and 
oxen, and lived in comfort and ease in the bosom of 
a large and happy family. 

He was renowned among all the people of the 
land for his wisdom and his riches. He was a good 
and charitable man, always ready to help anyone in 
sorrow or distress; he was a father to the orphan, 
and a protector to the widow. 

And now God determined to try him to see if he 
would serve Him faithfully in the midst of misfor- 
tune and suffering, as he had done in the days of 
prosperity ; so He allowed Satan to afflict him sorely. 

One day whilst Job was resting quietly in his 
home, a messenger came up in great haste, covered 
with sweat and dust, and cried out : "Alas, my mas- 
ter ! the robbers have stolen all your oxen and mules 
and have killed the servants who were tending them, 
and I alone have escaped to tell you." 

He was yet speaking when another messenger 
came in great haste: "O master! the lightning has 
struck your flocks of sheep and the servants who 
were keeping them. All are killed. I alone have 
escaped to tell you. 

Hardly had this man finished when up came 
another messenger: "O master! the robbers have 
stolen all your camels and killed your servants. I 
alone have escaped." 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 71 

At the same moment another came rushing in, 
hardly able to speak : 

"Master, your sons and daughters were feasting 
in the house of their eldest brother. During the 
banquet a fierce wind blew against the house, and 
down it fell, burying in its ruins all that were seated 
at the table. I alone have escaped to tell you; all 
the rest are dead." 

At this, Job arose from his seat and fell prostrate 
on the ground, so great was his grief. Yet he 
would not murmur against God, but only exclaimed : 
"God gave me all these things; they were His and 
belonged to Him. The Lord gave and the Lord has 
taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.'' 

So in one short day, he lost everything he had; 
cattle and sheep, servants and all, even his children. 

But this was not to be the end, for God determined 
to try him still harder, to see if he would murmur 
against Him. He struck him with a terrible dis- 
ease. Sores came out all over his body, his limbs 
and joints became swollen and stiff, and every nerve 
in his body was racked with pain. The sight of the 
sores and the odor that came from them were un- 
bearable. His very friends thrust him out of the 
city, and he was obliged to rest his weary body on 
an ash heap where all the refuse of the town was 
cast. Whilst he sat there bemoaning his sad lot, 
his wife came to him; but, instead of consoling him 
with tender loving words, she began to upbraid him : 
"How foolish you are still to trust in God. See 
what He has done for you. Why do you not curse 
Him and die?" 

Job, not in anger, but meekly and in patience, 
answered : "You have spoken like a foolish woman. 



72 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

If we have received good things from God, why not 
evil things? God is just!" 

The news of Job's terrible misfortunes spread far 
and wide, as he was well known throughout all the 
land. 

Now there lived afar off in another part of the 
country, three princes or chiefs who were friends 
of Job. 

When they heard what had befallen him, they 
made up their minds to come and console him. 

So they set out on their long journey, and came to 
the town where he lived. They beheld near the 
walls, seated on a heap of rubbish, the figure of a 
man. Coming nearer, they saw that he was a horri- 
ble sight, covered with hideous running sores, his 
face dark, disfigured and drawn with pain ; and the 
dogs were licking his sores. 

To their horror, they recognized their friend Job. 
So great was their grief that they could not speak : 
they sat on the ground near by, and for seven days 
opened not their mouths to utter a word. 

At last, in his pain and sorrow, Job cried out: 
"Have pity on me, at least you my friends, because 
the hand of the Lord has touched me. My very 
wife has abhorred my breath; my kinsmen have for- 
saken me ; and all that knew me have forgotten me. 
Would that I had never been born, or had died as 
soon as I saw the light of day, for then I would have 
been spared these miseries. And now I look for 
death, as one that digs for a treasure, and it will not 
come to me ; but I must live on and suffer these aw- 
ful things." 

Then one of the three friends, the eldest, spoke, 
but instead of giving comfort to Job, he said: 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 73 

"Surely you must have done some very wicked thing, 
for God is just, and He would not punish you so 
terribly unless you were a great sinner. Acknowl- 
edge that you have done evil and that you deserve all 
these things." 

And so spoke the other two. 

"No," answered Job, "God knows all things, and 
He knows that I love Him, and that I have tried to 
serve Him. He knows that my heart is pure and my 
hands clean of evil. He has made me suffer, not to 
punish me, but to try me." 

And he added : "I know that God will reward me 
for what I am suffering now. For on the last day I 
shall rise out of the earth, and I shall be clothed 
again with my flesh, no longer covered with sores; 
and with these same eyes I shall see God in heaven. 
I have this hope and comfort that no one can take 
from me.'' 

Whilst they were speaking these things, another 
friend of Job came on the scene, a young man named 
Eliu; and he spoke also, saying: "You are all wrong. 
God makes men suffer as Job is suffering to keep 
them from doing evil, or if they have done wrong, 
to make them repent and return to Him." 

At this point, God Himself spoke from heaven, 
and declared that the three friends of Job were en- 
tirely wrong when they said he was wicked, and, 
therefore, was punished; but the truth of the whole 
matter was this, that his sufferings were but a trial 
to prove his patience and his virtue, and that one 
can serve and please God as well, and even better, 
in adversity as in prosperity. 

Then the Lord spoke also to the three friends : "I 
am angry with you, for you have not said what was 



74 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

right. If you wish to be forgiven, go to My servant 
Job and beg him to pray for you. If he asks Me to 
forgive you, I will do so." 

And so they did, and God was appeased. 

Now the trials of Job were about to end. God 
had seen his patience in the midst of so great suf- 
fering, and was pleased with him because of his firm 
faith and resignation. 

The sores on his body began to dry up and heal, 
and soon he was as well as ever. Then all his 
friends came to him again, and each one brought him 
a present. 

The Lord gave him great possessions of camels 
and sheep and oxen ; moreover, He gave him seven 
sons, and for daughters, three of the most beautiful 
young women that were ever seen. 

Job was now rich and happy again, and lived in 
the possession of all these goods until his death. 

He was nearly two hundred years old when that 
occurred ; and he was mourned by all his family and 
the great number who knew and loved him. 



MOSES IN EGYPT. 

Once upon a time there reigned in the land of 
Egypt a wicked and cruel king, whose name was 
Pharao. In a part of his kingdom called Gessen, 
as has been told in an earlier story, dwelt a tribe 
of people who were strangers there. Some four 
hundred years before, when another Pharao was 
king, they had come from the country of Palestine 
in the time of a great famine, and had settled in 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 75 

Egypt with Jacob their father. At that time they 
were only a few, but in the course of years they 
became more and more numerous till, at last, they 
numbered over a million souls. These strangers, 
who were called Hebrews, or Jews, were different 
from the people around them ; they loved and served 
the true God, whom the Egyptians did not even 
know. So the people of that country began finally 
to hate the Hebrews, and ill-treat them in every way 
they could. The king forced them to work as slaves, 
building cities and houses and forts, and he put 
officers over them to watch them and compel them 
to work. The officers were cruel and heartless, and 
would beat the poor Hebrews ; and those that were 
weak and sick and could not work, they put to 
death. But in spite of this, the Hebrews increased 
in numbers every day. At last the king was 
alarmed; he was afraid they would become too 
powerful, and would take his kingdom away from 
him ; so he gave orders that all the babies who were 
boys should be cast into the river and drowned. 
Dreadful as it was, this wicked command was obeyed. 
As soon as it was found that a child was born among 
the Hebrews, the soldiers of the king came, and if 
it were a boy, they cast him into the river in spite 
of the cries and tears of the mother. And so things 
went on for several years. 

Now, there lived at this time among the Jews, a 
man and wife who had a most beautiful child, 
a boy only a few days old. For several months 
they successfully hid him from the soldiers; at last 
they could hide him no longer. So the mother made 
a basket of the bullrushes that grew by the river's 
bank, and, putting the child in it, she set the basket 



?6 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

afloat upon the water, praying that God would take 
care of the little one and see that he came to no 
harm. 

It happened that just at this time, Pharao's 
daughter went down to the river bank to bathe ; and 
seeing the little basket floating on the water, she 
had it brought to her. She cried out in astonish- 
ment at sight of such a pretty baby, with its hands 
stretched out to her, and she loved the little one for 
its beauty. Immediately she made up her mind to 
take the child home to adopt as her own. 

Some distance away, hidden among the trees, the 
sister of the babe was watching, and as soon as she 
saw what had happened, she ran up to Pharao's 
daughter and offered to get a nurse for the child. 
"Do so," said the princess, "and I will pay her well 
for her services, for I mean to keep the little one." 
The girl went at once and called her mother. The 
king's daughter, not knowing she was the mother of 
the baby, asked her: "Will you live in the palace 
and take care of the child for me ?" Gladly did the 
mother promise to do so, and in her heart she 
thanked God that He had heard her prayer and saved 
the life of her babe. Little did she know what a won- 
derful future God had in store for this child, and 
what strange things would be brought to pass by 
him in the years that were to come. 

The princess told her father what she had done and 
begged that he would allow her to keep the little one. 

Pharao consented; and so the child was brought 
up in the royal court by the princess. They named 
him Moses, because that means in the Egyptian lan- 
guage, taken from the water. As he grew up, he 
was taught all the learning and wisdom of the 




FINDING OF MOSES. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 77 

Egyptians; but his mother taught him also about 
the true God, and his own people, the Jews, who 
were being so cruelly treated by the king. 

Forty years passed in this way; and now Moses 
determined to leave Pharao's court and visit his own 
people in the land of Gessen. He had been there 
several days, when he went out one morning and saw 
an Egyptian officer standing over one of the Jews, 
beating him cruelly. He told him to stop. The 
Egyptian would not, and Moses killed him and hid 
the body in the sand. 

The next day he saw two of his people quarrel- 
ing, and going up to them, tried to make peace; 
"You are brothers ; why do you hurt one another ?" 
But the one who had struck the first blow, answered 
him : "What have you to do with us ? Do you want 
to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?" 

Hearing this, Moses was afraid, for he perceived 
that what he had done was now known. 

Before long, too, it came to Pharao's ears, and the 
king, in great anger, gave orders that he was to be 
taken and put to death. 

Moses heard this, and he at once left the country 
and traveled far away, till he came to a desert called 
Madian, where he remained for forty years. Dur- 
ing this time he married the daughter of Jethro, a 
great man of that place, and two sons were born to 
him, who grew up to be good young men and a com- 
fort and joy to their father in his exile. Often, 
during these years, did Moses think of his people 
in Egypt, and pray that God would send them de- 
liverance from their hardships and sufferings. 

One day, whilst he was tending the flocks of 
Jethro and seeking pasture for them in the wilder- 



78 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

ness, he came to a mountain called Horeb, and there 
he beheld a strange sight. Some distance off, a 
bright red light was glowing against the sky. He 
drew near and saw a great bush all in a blaze ; and, 
though it kept on burning, it was not destroyed or 
consumed. 

Moses, much astonished, was about to go up to it, 
when he heard a voice which seemed to come from 
the bush : 'Come no nearer; and take off your shoes, 
for the ground you are standing on is holy. I am 
Almighty God." Moses hid his face in fear; he 
dared not look, thinking that if he saw God he 
would die. Then the voice spoke : "I have seen the 
sufferings of my people in Egypt, and I have heard 
their cries and prayers ; and now I am going to de- 
liver them. I have chosen you, and I will send you 
to Pharao, that you may bring my people out of 
Egypt into the country from which they came four 
hundred years ago; and there I shall make of them 
a great nation." 

"Go first to the chiefs and leaders of the Jews, 
and say to them : 'The time is come for your deliver- 
ance; the Lord is about to bring you out of Egypt.' 
Then you will go to Pharao, and say to him : The 
God of the Hebrews has called us; let us go into 
the desert to offer sacrifice to Him.' 

"I know that Pharao will not let you go at first ; 
but I will do wonders so great and so terrible, that 
he will feel forced to let you go. And now I shall 
show you that all I have said is true. Cast your 
staff on the ground." Moses was holding in his 
hand a shepherd's staff, or rod. He threw it on the 
ground, and at once it turned into a snake. In 
great fright, he was about to run away, when the 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 79 

voice said : "Take it up by the tail." He did so, and 
it became a stick again. Again the voice spoke: 
"Put your hand in your bosom." Moses did as he 
was told, and when he took his hand out, he looked, 
and it was all covered with the white sores of a leper. 
"Put it in again." He obeyed and the sores dis- 
appeared ; his hand became sound as it was at first. 
"Now you will believe me. Go, therefore, and I 
will be with you, and will tell you what to say and 
do." 

"O Lord," said Moses, "I am not eloquent, and 
know not how to speak ; will you not send some one 
else?'' "No," was the answer, "for I have chosen 
you ; but I will let your brother Aaron go with you 
to your people and to Pharao ; he shall speak and you 
shall tell him what to say. Take your rod, for with 
it you will do wonderful things before the king and 
all his court. And now go back into Egypt, for the 
king who sought your life is dead." 

Moses returned home, and bidding good-bye to 
Jethro, set out for Egypt, taking his wife and chil- 
dren with him. On the way, his brother Aaron, 
whom he had not seen for many years, came to meet 
him, and Moses told him everything that the Lord 
had said. They continued on their journey together, 
and before long they came to the land of Gessen. 

They found that Pharao had died, after a long 
reign of nearly seventy years, and his son had be- 
come king in his place. He, too, was cruel and hard, 
and he ill-treated the Jews even more than his 
father had. 

The two brothers went first to their own people, 
telling them all that God had said in the desert, how 
the hour of their deliverance was now come, and 



80 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

how they were to leave Egypt and go back to their 
own country. 

Then Moses and Aaron went up to the court of 
the king in the great city of Tanis, with the message : 
"The God of the Jews has said : 'Let my people go, 
that they may offer sacrifice to Me in the desert.' " 
Pharao answered : "Who is your God, that I should 
obey Him and let the Hebrews go?" 

And he added: "Because you have tried to take 
the people away from their work, I will make their 
burden all the harder." Saying this, he dismissed 
Moses and Aaron, and commanded his officers to 
oppress the Jews all the more. 

And now they had a terrible time. The officers 
became more and more cruel; they beat the poor 
slaves and compelled them to work without rest or 
stop; many sank under the weight of their suffer- 
ings and died. 

Then there was much murmuring against Moses : 
"See how you have made our burden harder than be- 
fore. Is this the deliverance God will give us ?" 

Moses himself began to fear, and he prayed to 
the Lord : "Why have You sent me to this people, 
and why do You suffer them to be afflicted so greatly? 
Since I spoke to Pharao it has been worse than ever." 
And the answer came: "Say to the children of 
Israel : 'Have patience, for I shall bring you out of 
the prison and shall take you for my own people, 
and I shall bring you into the land that I promised 
your fathers.' " But the Jews did not believe, and 
would not be comforted. 

Moses and Aaron stood again before the king, 
and Pharao taunted them: "Show me some sign, 
that I may know God has sent you." Aaron took 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 81 

the rod of Moses and cast it on the ground; at once 
it changed into a live snake. Pharao only laughed : 
"My magicians can do that." He called two of 
them and, sure enough, their rods also were turned 
into crawling, hissing snakes, but the rod of Moses 
at once devoured them. Still Pharao would not 
listen to them, and sent them away. 

And now things still more terrible and strange took 
place. 

The first wonder God brought about was to turn 
into blood all the rivers and streams and ponds in 
Egypt ; the people could find no water to drink, and 
had to dig wells lest they die of thirst. Then he 
sent a great army of frogs into the land. They 
entered into the houses and bedrooms and kitchens, 
and even jumped on the tables, and no place was 
free from them. 

Then came millions of gnats, swarming every- 
where ; men and beasts were covered with them, and 
the bite of these little insects nearly drove them mad. 
Next was a plague of flies; in the water, in the 
food, in the air; no place was free from them; one 
could not eat or drink or even breathe, without 
swallowing flies. 

Shortly after this the cattle and sheep belonging 
to the Egyptians took sick and died; many people 
were made poor because they lost all they had. 

Next, Moses took from the hearth some ashes 
which he sprinkled in the air. At once all the men 
and animals in the land of Egypt were covered with 
sores ; no one escaped, not even the magicians. 

Then there was a fearful storm of thunder and 
lightning and hail. The lightning seemed to run 



82 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

along the ground ; everything that was struck by it 
was destroyed. 

An immense army of locusts next rilled the whole 
land of Egypt. They came like an enormous cloud, 
so thick that the sun was hidden. They settled on 
the trees and bushes and grass ; they entered into the 
cities, climbed upon the walls, came in at the win- 
dows and doors; they filled the streets, the houses, 
the rooms; no place escaped them. They ate up 
everything in their way. They destroyed the grass 
and the wheat and the trees, and in all the land of 
Egypt there was not left anything that was green 
on the trees or on the ground. It was just as if a 
terrible army had passed by and left the whole 
country bare and desolate. And now it began to 
grow dark in the very middle of the day. The 
darkness grew more and more dense, till at last the 
day became blacker than the darkest midnight. The 
sun was hidden, and the moon and stars gave no 
light. No one could see; everyone was afraid to 
move; many fainted through fear, not knowing 
what was to come. And for three days this 
fearful silence and darkness lasted, as though the 
world was about to come to an end. 

Strange to say, none of these terrible things hap- 
pened in the country where the Jews were living; 
and while the rest of Egypt was buried in darkness 
or torn by the storm of hail, the sun was shining 
brightly in Gessen. 

The Egyptians were now so frightened that they 
begged the king to let the Hebrews go. Pharao had 
promised again and again that he would, but as soon 
as each plague was over, he broke his promise. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 83 

And now God was about to send the most terri- 
ble of all the plagues upon the land of Egypt. 

Moses went back to his people and warned them 
that on the fourteenth day of that same month each 
family should kill a lamb, and when evening was 
come, should sprinkle the front door of their house 
with the blood of the lamb. Then they were to be 
ready that very night to leave the country and set 
out on their journey to Palestine. 

They did as they were told. Then in the middle 
of the night a fearful cry arose in all the land of 
Egypt; the people ran out of their houses, weeping 
and crying and wringing their hands; they were 
wild with fear, and knew not what to do or whither 
to run. In the palace of the king was the same 
alarm, and Pharao himself was seen crying and 
moaning by the bedside of his son. During the 
night an Angel of the Lord had entered every house 
in Egypt and killed the eldest child, from the king's 
son to the child of the poorest laborer; no one es- 
caped ; even the young of the very beasts were killed. 
But of the Jews not one was hurt. The Angel, see- 
ing the blood sprinkled on the door, passed on his 
way. 

Terrible were the confusion and fear of that 
night, for death was in every home; there was 
heard nothing but mourning, weeping and crying. 

Pharao at once sent word to Moses to leave the 
country with all his people, begging him to hurry 
lest, if they stay any longer, all the Egyptians would 
be killed. 

And so it happened that the Hebrews at last were 
about to leave the land of Egypt. Four hundred 
and thirty years before they had come there with 



84 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

Jacob their father, being then only sixty-six in num- 
ber ; now they were an enormous army of over a mil- 
lion souls. 

That very night they began their journey, taking 
as many provisions as they could gather in their 
haste. Moses, remembering a promise made many 
years before, took the bones of Joseph to carry them 
back to their native land. 

On and on they journeyed for several days, and 
reached the shores of the Red Sea, where they 
pitched their tents and rested. In the meantime 
Pharao was sorry he had let the Hebrews go. So 
he gathered a great army, and setting out in pursuit, 
overtook them before many days. To their great 
terror, the Jews saw that they were caught in a 
trap : on one side of them was the sea, on the other 
the army of Pharao, with no way of escape before 
them. They cried out to Moses: "Why did you 
bring us here to be killed? Far better would it 
have been had you let us remain the slaves of the 
Egyptians." But Moses reassured them: "Be not 
afraid, for you shall soon behold what a wonderful 
thing the Lord is about to do. The Egyptians, whom 
you see now, you shall never see again." 

At once the cloud that guided the Hebrews, 
moved and went between the two armies. It en- 
veloped the Egyptians in impenetrable darkness, but 
on the side of the Jews it was as bright as the noon 
day sun, although night had now fallen. Holding 
the rod, Moses stretched out his hand towards the 
Sea. A strong burning wind sprang up and divided 
the water. The waves stood on either side, piled 
up like great high walls; between them was a path 
of dry land, and by this path the Hebrew army 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 85 

passed over to the borders of the desert that led to 
Palestine. 

All that night they journeyed, and when morning 
was near and they were safely across, the Egyptians, 
hearing and seeing nothing felt sure that the Jews 
had escaped in the darkness. They hastened for- 
ward, and to their great astonishment, saw the path- 
way through the water, and the Hebrews far on the 
other shore. At once they set out to follow them, 
and the whole army of Pharao went down between 
the walls of water. Hardly had they reached half 
way, when their horses and chariots were over- 
thrown and the men fell on every side. At the 
same moment, Moses raised his hand over the Sea 
and the two great walls of water came together 
with a rush and a terrible roar, the dry land disap- 
peared, and every man and beast of the Egyptian 
army was drowned in the waves; not so much as 
one was saved to return home and tell the tale. 

Seeing this wonderful miracle, Moses and his 
people fell down on their knees, giving praise and 
thanks to God who had saved them from their 
enemy, and they swore to love Him and to serve 
Him faithfully forever. 

And thus God kept the promise He had often made 
in the years gone by, that He would bring His peo- 
ple out of Egypt, to the country of Palestine, to the 
land where Abraham and Isaac and Jacob had lived. 



86 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 



MOSES IN THE DESERT. 

Listen, children, and I will tell you the story of 
Moses and the Jews when they wandered for forty 
years in the great wilderness that led to the Promised 
Land. Many strange things befell them on their 
journey before they settled down in peace in the 
fertile hills and plains of Palestine. 

After the destruction of Pharao's army, the He- 
brews set out on their march, and for three days 
passed through a wild and barren country where 
they could find no water. Soon their supply gave 
out and they became alarmed, fearing they would 
die of thirst on the way. 

To their great joy they came to a place where 
there were a number of springs ; but as soon as they 
tasted the water they cried out in disappointment, 
for the water was bitter and nobody could drink it. 
Moses bade them not be discouraged, and taking 
the branch of a tree, he cast it in the water, which 
at once became sweet and pleasant to drink. Shortly 
after this they came upon a beautiful spot in the 
desert, called Elim, where there were twelve foun- 
tains of water and seventy palm trees. Here they 
encamped and remained several days, resting and 
preparing for the long and hard journey before them. 

It was now a month since they had left the land 
of Egypt, and again they set out on their march, and 
entered the desert once more. 

Soon their food gave out, and they could find none 
in the barren country around them. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 87 

The Jews began to murmur against Moses; 
"Would to God we had stayed in Egypt where we 
had food enough to eat. Why did you bring us 
into the desert to die with hunger ?" 

The Lord heard their murmurs and said to Moses : 
"This evening I will give them meat, and in the 
morning they shall have bread." 

Truly that evening an immense cloud of quails 
flew over the camp of the Jews, and the people 
caught and killed as many as they wanted. 

Also, when they awoke the next morning, they 
saw that the ground was covered with something 
that looked like frost or snow. Moses told them ; 
"This is the bread the Lord promised to give you." 
They gathered some and found it delightful, tasting 
like bread and honey. This was the manna with 
which the Lord fed the Jews in all the forty years 
of their sojourn in the desert. Every morning it 
was found thick upon the ground ; but on the seventh 
day, the Sabbath, there was none; therefore, on the 
day before they were told to gather a double quan- 
tity, enough to last the two days, and those that did 
not do so, had to go hungry. 

Continuing their journey, the water failed them 
again and the people were thirsty. And they cried 
out against Moses: "Give us water to drink. Do 
you wish to see us die of thirst in this terrible des- 
ert?" Moses knew what to do, for the Lord had 
told him. Taking his rod, he struck the side of a 
great rock; at once a stream of water poured out, 
and all the people drank as much as they would, and 
filled their casks for future use. 

The time had now come when they were obliged 
to fight their first battle. There lived in the moun- 



88 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

tains of that region a tribe of people who were very 
fierce and warlike. Moses picked out his best sol- 
diers and put at their head a brave man named Josue. 

Then he went up into a high mountain to watch 
the battle and to pray for his people. The two 
armies met and the fight was fierce and bloody. 

As long as Moses held up his hands in prayer, the 
Jews were victorious ; when his arms were tired and 
he lowered them, the enemy gained. So all that day 
he sat upon the mountain and two men held up his 
hands. Far down in the valley beneath, the battle 
went on, and when evening was come the enemy had 
been defeated and put to flight and many had been 
slain. 

Not long after, they came to the foot of a great 
mountain called Sinai. This mountain was near the 
very place where Moses had seen the burning bush, 
and there in the valley they rested from their travels 
and remained for many months. The country to 
which they had now come was grand and beautiful ; 
high rugged mountains surrounded them on every 
side; in the valleys flowed several streams, and the 
rich grass formed pasture for their cattle. This 
place was to witness a wonderful event. 

God had chosen the Jews to be His own people, 
and now He was about to appear to them and to give 
them his laws and commandments. The day was 
near at hand. Moses warned the Jews : "Take care 
that none of you go up into the mountain, or even 
touch the foot of it, until you shall hear the sound 
of a trumpet, lest you die ; because the Lord is about 
to come upon the mountain." 

So for three days the Jews prepared themselves 
by prayer to see the coming of the Lord. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 89 

When the third day had dawned, thunder began to 
be heard, at first faint and distant, then louder and 
louder; the lightning flashed and all the top of the 
mount seemed on fire; the people were afraid, so 
terrible was the noise and the blinding light. A 
great cloud descended upon the summit and all 
Sinai was in smoke, because the Lord was coming 
down upon it in fire. The smoke arose black and 
thick as from an immense furnace, and all the mount 
was terrible. 

Then w^as heard the clear call of a trumpet and the 
sound grew louder and louder. Moses brought the 
people near the foot of the mountain, and there 
they stood in fear and trembling. 

And the Lord came down upon Sinai, upon the 
very top of the mount. He called Moses up into the 
mountain and spoke to him the words of the Ten 
Commandments. From below the people could hear 
a terrible voice and see the flames and the smoke on 
the mountain, so that, half dead with fear and terror, 
they cried out to Moses : "Speak to us yourself, and 
we will listen ; but let not the Lord speak to us, lest 
we die." Moses came down to comfort them and 
told them not to fear, for the Lord would do them 
no harm. 

For six days the glory of God dwelt upon Sinai, 
covering it with a cloud, and the sight of His glory 
was like a blinding, burning fire upon the top of the 
mount. 

Moses, entering into the cloud, w T ent up to the 
very top of the mountain where the Lord was, and 
stayed there forty days and nights, neither eating 
nor drinking all that time. During these days God 
spoke many things to him and gave him two tables 



90 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

of stone, on which he had written with His own 
hand the words of the Ten Commandments. 

In the meantime the Jews waited for Moses to 
come down again from the mount. Day after day 
passed and he did not appear. Then they grew im- 
patient and spoke one to another : "We can wait for 
him no longer. Surely, by this time he is dead, or 
he would have come back to us. What shall we do? 
Let us make a golden calf ; it shall be our god and go 
with us and show us the way to the Promised Land." 

Then they went to Aaron, and by threats they 
compelled him to do what they wished. 

He gathered together all the gold earrings and 
bracelets of the people, and melting them, made a 
large golden calf; and they knelt before it and 
prayed to it as their god, forgetting the Lord, who 
had done so much for them, and who had appeared 
to them so short a while before. 

But God saw what they were doing, and He said 
to Moses : "Already my people have forgotten Me. 
I will destroy every one of them, and I will make 
you the leader of another nation in their place." 
Moses besought Him : "Lord, do not destroy them ; 
for then the Egyptians will say that You brought 
them into this mountain only that You might kill 
them. Let your anger cease, and forgive their sin." 
The Lord listened to his prayer and promised that 
He would not destroy them all. 

Moses came down from the mountain, carrying in 
his hands the two tables of stone. As he drew near 
to the people, he saw them kneeling around the 
golden calf, and in his anger he threw the tables out 
of his hand and broke them at the foot of the 
mount. Then taking the calf, be burnt it and beat 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 91 

it into powder, and he mingled the powder in water 
which he compelled the Jews to drink, to show them 
how foolish they were to think that a piece of gold 
could be their god. 

So astonished were they to see him, thinking that 
he was dead, and so ashamed of themselves, that 
they could only look idly on, and that day God al- 
lowed to be slain twenty-three thousand men of 
those who had sinned against Him. 

Then Moses cut out two other tables of stone, and 
rising early in the morning went with them up into 
the mountain once more. He remained there forty 
days, neither eating nor drinking; and again the 
Lord wrote on the tables the words of the Ten Com- 
mandments. He also gave to Moses orders con- 
cerning the many sacrifices and ceremonies the Jews 
should use in worshiping Him, and He added many 
laws to govern them when they should become a 
great nation. 

When Moses came down from the mountain his 
countenance was bright as the shining sun, and from 
that day ever after he had to wear a veil to hide the 
brightness of the light that shone from his face. 

It was at this time the Ark of the Covenant was 
made. In it was kept some of the manna with 
which the Jews were fed in the desert, and the two 
tables of stone on which were written the Ten Com- 
mandments. 

One day two of the sons of Aaron, Nadab and 
Abiu by name, offered incense at the altar, and, con- 
trary to God's command, they put in their censers 
fire that was not blessed. He sent down fire from 
heaven, that struck them and killed them in an in- 
stant. This shows how careful the priest must be 



92 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

to carry out all the ceremonies of the Lord just as 
He commands. 

Before leaving the mount, Moses counted all the 
men who were twenty years of age or over, and 
there were more than six hundred thousand ; so that 
in the whole army of the Hebrews, men, women and 
children, there were between two and three millions 
of souls. 

Then they made ready to depart. They had been 
on their journey some three days when again the 
people began to murmur: "We are tired of seeing 
and eating only the manna ; we want something else 
to eat.'' 

And Moses cried out to the Lord : "What shall I 
do with this people who are never satisfied? I am 
not able to bear the burden of carrying them. I be- 
seech You to let me die." 

But the Lord answered : "Be not afraid ; tomorrow 
I will give them flesh to eat in abundance, not for 
one day, but for a month ; and they shall have that 
till they are sick of it." 

To be sure, the next day there came over the 
camp a cloud of quails, so numerous one could not 
count them, and enough to last for many days : but 
in the meantime many of the people were taken sick 
and died of a plague sent upon them for their in- 
gratitude. 

Not long after Aaron and his sister Mary began 
to complain : They said : "Has the Lord spoken by 
Moses only? Has He not also spoken to us? 
Why, then, should he be so much above us?" God 
heard this and was angry, and He struck Mary with 
the terrible disease of leprosy. For seven days she 




THE RETURN OF THE SPIES. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 93 

was kept outside the camp; then Moses prayed for 
her and she was cured. 

And now they were coming near to the land of 
Chanaan, the land that God had promised to give 
them. 

Moses sent out twelve spies, telling them to go 
up into the mountains where they would get a good 
view of the surrounding country, and find out all 
about the place and the inhabitants. The spies set 
out and were gone forty days. On their return, 
they brought with them some of the fruits of the 
country, amongst them a bunch of grapes so large 
it took two men to carry it. Most of them told the 
Jews that it was indeed a rich and fertile country, 
but the cities were very strong and the inhabitants 
were giants. In fact, they said all they could to 
make the Jews afraid to go further, and the people 
cried out in fear: "Would to God we had died in 
Egypt ; it would be better than to be put to death by 
these terrible monsters of men. Let us choose 
another captain and go back to Egypt." 

Two of the spies, Josue and Caleb, however, 
strove to comfort the people : "Let us not be afraid. 
God is with us. We can defeat these giants and 
take their land, for the Lord has promised to give 
it to us." But the rest of the Jews would not 
listen. 

Then God said to Moses : "I am tired of these 
people, who will never believe Me. I will strike 
them with a great plague and destroy every one of 
them, and I will make you the ruler over another 
and a greater nation than this." But Moses again 
besought Him : "O God, I pray You do not so, for 
the Egyptians and the inhabitants of this land will 



94 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

say that You could not bring them into the country 
You promised to give them, and, therefore, You 
killed them in the wilderness. I beseech You to for- 
give the sins of this people." 

The Lord promised to forgive them, but added: 
"Not one of these people who have seen the won- 
ders I did in Egypt, and have murmured against 
Me, shall ever enter the Promised Land. For forty 
years you shall wander in the wilderness, until all 
these are dead and a new generation has come. Your 
children shall enter, but not one of you shall enter, 
save only Josue and Caleb." And God struck all 
the spies except Josue and Caleb, and they dropped 
dead in the camp. 

Sorrowfully Moses told the people what the Lord 
had said. Then they murmured and wept and 
cried out : "No, we will fight the people and take the 
land now." "Do not try it yet," said Moses, "for 
the Lord is not with you now, and you will fail." 
But they would not listen, nor wait for the next 
command from God, and going up into the moun- 
tains, they met the inhabitants of the land, and a 
great battle took place ; the Jews were defeated and 
routed, and many were killed. However, they never 
seemed to learn the lesson of obedience, and a great 
rebellion arose in the camp, about this time, against 
Moses. Three of the princes, Core, Dathan and 
Abiron, and with them two hundred and fifty of the 
principal men, revolted against Moses and refused 
to obey him. 

The next day the three princes, with their fami- 
lies, were in front of their tents. Moses ordered all 
the rest of the Jews to separate from them and stand 
some distance away. Then he added: "Now you 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 95 

will see what God is about to do. If these men die 
a natural death, then God did not send me; but if 
the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up, 
you will know that God is with me." Hardly had 
he finished when a terrible thing happened. All of 
a sudden, with a roar and a crash, the earth broke 
asunder under the feet of the three men; a great 
chasm appeared, deep and dark; and the three 
princes, with their families, fell into the chasm and 
were swallowed up alive; the ground closed again 
and they were seen no more. The people, in terror, 
fled in every direction, fearing they, too, would be 
destroyed. That same day fire came down from 
heaven and killed the two hundred and fifty men 
who had taken part in the rebellion of Core, Dathan 
and Abiron. Instead of taking this as a lesson, the 
Jews became angry, and the next day another revolt 
broke out in the camp; they even sought to kill 
Moses and Aaron. Then the Lord said to Moses : 

"Let Me alone that I may destroy this whole peo- 
ple from the face of the earth." At once Moses 
told Aaron to take a censer; to put fire and incense 
in it, to go into the very midst of the people; and 
standing there with the censer, to pray for them. 
Fearful was the sight that greeted Aaron's eyes ; the 
ground was covered with the dead and dying, 
stricken with some dread disease. But Aaron placed 
himself between the living and the dead, praying that 
God would have mercy on the people, and at once 
the plague stopped. In that short time, however, 
over fourteen thousand had died. To show the 
people that God had chosen Aaron and no other to 
be His high priest, Moses ordered Aaron and twelve 
princes of the nation to choose each a rod. He took 



96 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

the thirteen rods and placed them by the side of the 
Ark of the Covenant. On the next day, it was found 
that the rod of Aaron had budded and bloomed and 
was covered with leaves and flowers. Moses showed 
the rods to the people in proof that Aaron was 
chosen. Then the Lord said to Moses: "Carry 
back the rod of Aaron, and kept it always in the Ark 
in memory of the rebellion of the people, that they 
may continue to have in mind that Aaron is My 
priest.'' 

The Israelites had now come to a place called 
Cades, and there they dwelt for a long time. In 
the meanwhile the supply of water gave out, and 
again the people murmured. The Lord heard them 
and commanded: "Gather all the people together, 
and go before the great rock; speak to it and it shall 
give you water." Moses, therefore, in the presence 
of all the people, struck the rock with his rod; he 
waited a moment, then struck it a second time. The 
water gushed forth in abundance, and the people 
had all they needed for themselves and their cattle. 

But God was displeased with Moses ; He had not 
told him to strike the rock twice. And so He said 
to him: "Because you have done this, you shall 
not bring these people into the land I promised to 
give them. You shall see the land from afar off, 
but shall never enter it." 

Not long after, Aaron died and was buried there 
in the mountains, and his son, Eleazar was made 
high priest in his place. 

The Jews, weary of the long and tiresome sojourn 
in the desert, began anew to complain: "Why did 
you bring us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness ? 




MOSES RAISES THE BRAZEN SERPENT. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 97 

There is no bread here, nor water; we are tired of 
this manna which you have given us." 

The Lord was angry, and in punishment of their 
murmur ings, sent numbers of fiery serpents amongst 
them, and whoever was bitten by the serpents died. 
Then the people came to Moses, crying out: "We 
have sinned because we have spoken against the 
Lord. Pray that He may take away these serpents 
from us." 

Moses prayed for them, and the Lord bade him : 
"Make a serpent of brass and set it up in the sight 
of the people. Whoever looks upon it shall be 
healed of the serpents' bite and shall not die." And 
so the plague ceased and the people were saved. 

The forty years were almost at an end by now, 
and the Hebrews were coming nearer to the Prom- 
ised Land. 

Many battles were fought with the inhabitants of 
the country, who tried to keep the Jews away. But 
God was with His people and they defeated all their 
enemies, till at last they came near to the borders of 
the river Jordan. On the other side of the river 
lay the Pomised Land. 

The king of Moab — for that was the name of the 
country where the Hebrews lay encamped — was afraid 
of the Jews ; he had heard the wonderful things God 
had done for them, and he knew not how to get rid 
of them. So he sent for a magician, Balaam, to 
come and curse the Hebrews, thinking this curse 
might do them some harm. When the messengers 
came to Balaam, he bade them wait till he had con- 
sulted the Lord. That night God appeared to him 
and forbade him to go, so he refused the king's mes- 
sengers. Again they came, this time with more 



98 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

presents, and Balaam consented to go. On the way, 
suddenly the mule he was riding gave a start and 
turned off from the road. Balaam beat it unmerci- 
fully. Again the mule backed away as if in fright, 
and at last fell flat on the ground. He beat it more 
than before, when to his great astonishment the 
mule spoke : "Why do you beat me so ? I have not 
deserved it, for I have always served you faithfully. 
Did I ever act this way before?" Then Balaam 
saw a wonderful sight and he understood why the 
mule had turned aside. In front of him stood an 
Angel, a sharp bright sword in his hand. And the 
Angel said to him : "The mule has saved your life : 
had he not turned away, I would have killed you 
because you have come on this journey." Balaam, 
falling on the ground, besought the Angel not to 
kill him, and promised to return at once. The Angel 
bade him go on his way, however, and warned him 
to say to the king only what he would be told to 
say. 

So Balaam came to the king of Moab: "I have 
sent for you," said the king, "to curse this people 
that have come out of Egypt into my country, for I 
am afraid of them." Then going up into a high 
mountain from which they could see all the camp of 
the Jews, the king commanded : "Now curse them, 
that they may perish." "How can I curse him 
whom God has not cursed?" the magician answered; 
"This people shall possess the land. What God has 
promised them, He will give. God is with them, 
and they shall be a great nation." 

The king, angry with him, sent him back to his 
home, and not long after, in one of the many battles 
that were fought, Balaam was killed by the Jews. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 99 

The forty years being now passed, and the men 
who had murmured against God in the desert being 
all dead, except Josue and Caleb, a second time 
Moses counted the people, and there were found over 
six hundred thousand men of twenty years or more. 

The time had come, too, when Moses was to die. 
Once more only, he spoke to the Jews; "I am now 
old and my days are near their end. Soon you will 
cross the river and possess the land that God has 
promised you. See to it that you fear and obey 
Him always, and He will be with you and will pro- 
tect you." Then he called Josue, and in the sight 
of all the people he blessed him, saying. "The Lord 
has chosen you to be the leader of this nation. You 
shall go before them and bring them into the land 
of Chanaan." 

Then bidding them good-bye forever, he went 
alone into a high mountain called Nebo, and there 
from the summit, he looked across the Jordan into 
the Promised Land. As far as the eye could reach, 
he saw a beautiful country dotted with towns 
and cities, Jericho near the river, Jerusalem afar 
off. 

And the Lord said to him : "This is the land that 
I promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. You 
have seen it with your eyes, but you shall not set 
foot upon it." And Moses, the servant of the Lord, 
died there in the land of Moab, near the borders of 
the Promised Land. 

Angels took his body and buried it in the valley. 
No human eyes saw where he was laid, and no man 
knows, to this day, where is his grave. 



ioo HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 



JOSUE. 

Some three thousand years ago or more, there 
dwelt in the land of Chanaan, a race of people who 
were very wicked. In the course of time a strange 
rumor reached their ears. They heard that a great 
tribe of people, several millions in number, had come 
out of Egypt and crossed the desert, that they were 
marching towards the borders of Chanaan, after 
fighting many battles and gaining many victories. 
Terror seized upon the people and they knew not 
what to do. At last messengers brought word that 
the strangers were encamped by the shores of the 
river Jordan, on the borders of the land of Chanaan. 

Sure enough, a great camp was seen not far from 
the river. 

The people were the Hebrew, or Jews, whom 
Moses had led out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, 
and through the desert, where they had wandered for 
forty years, until they came near to the land of 
Chanaan, which God had promised to give them. 

Moses was dead, but in his place was a good and 
brave man named Josue, whom God had chosen to 
be the leader and captain of His people, to bring them 
into the land they were to possess. Not far from 
the river Jordan was a great city called Jericho; 
this city was surrounded on all sides with high, 
thick walls. 

Josue sent two spies, bidding them cross the river 
and enter Jericho, and there find out all they could 
about the place and the people. That night, in the 
dark, the two men crossed the river, and when morn- 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 101 

ing was come, they entered the gates of the city. 
They came to the house of a woman named Rahab, 
telling her they were strangers and asking to be al- 
lowed to enter and rest for a while. They had not 
been long in the house, when a loud knocking was 
heard and a rough voice cried out, "Open the door; 
you have spies in here." The woman hurried the 
two men to the top of the house, hid them under a 
great pile of flax, then went quickly down to open 
the door. Several officers of the king came in, cry- 
ing: "Two men were seen to enter your house. 
They are spies and are from the Hebrews on the 
other side of the river." "Yes, they were here," she 
answered, "but I did not know they were spies." 

"Where are they?" 

"Why they left here, and I don't know where they 
have gone. They went out together just before the 
gates of the city were closed. If you go after them 
quickly, you might overtake them." 

The officers went out, and thinking the men would 
try to join their people, went down to the river's 
edge in pursuit. The woman released the spies from 
their hiding place. 

"I knew that you came from the Hebrews," she 
said ; "I have saved your lives, for the officers were 
here ; but they have left and have gone down to the 
river, thinking you are there. 

"Every one in the city is afraid, for we know that 
you will conquer and possess this place. Promise 
me that when your people come into the city they 
will spare my life and all my family." 

The spies promised all she asked. "I am going 
to let you out of the house;" she added. "Do not 
go down to the river, for you will be caught. Go 



102 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

up into the mountains and hide there for three days, 
till the search for you is over ; then you can go back 
to the river in safety." She let them out of the 
house, and giving them provisions, sent them on 
their way. 

Before leaving, they warned her : "Do not forget 
to hang a red cloth from your window, so that 
when our people come into the city, seeing the red 
cloth, they will know this is your house and will 
spare all that are in it." The spies hid in the moun- 
tains, and, before long, rejoined their people in 
safety. 

For three days the camp of the Jews rested by the 
side of the river. On the morning of the third day, 
Josue commanded the priests to take the Ark of the 
Covenant and go with it before the people. Then 
they took up their march towards the Jordan, the 
whole army following the Ark. The priests, with- 
out stopping, marched right into the river. As soon 
as their feet touched the water, the stream that came 
down from above stood still, as though stopped by 
some mighty hand, and swelling higher and higher, 
became a great mountain of water, and that on the 
lower side ran down into the sea, leaving the dry 
land in its place. The priests, with the Ark, stood in 
the middle of the river bed until the whole army of 
the Jews had passed. When they had all crossed 
safely over, the Ark was carried across; then the 
great mountain of water fell, and the river ran on 
in its channel as it had done before. 

For the first time the Jews now rested in the land 
of Chanaan, the land that God had promised to give 
them. They dwelt for some days not far from Jeri- 
cho, and gathered the corn that grew in the land ; and 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 103 

the manna, that for forty years had fed them in the 
desert, now ceased to fall and was never seen again. 

One day Josue was walking in a field, not far from 
the camp, when suddenly he saw a man holding a 
drawn sword in his hand. He went up to him, say- 
ing : "Are you one of our own people, or an enemy?" 
"I am not your enemy; I am the prince of the army 
of the Lord, and I am come from heaven to be with 
you and help you." Saying this, he disappeared 
and Josue fell on the ground in fear, for he knew 
that he had seen an Angel ; but he was greatly com- 
forted because the Angel had said that, though un- 
seen, he would be with him and would help him in 
all his battles. 

And now he prepared to attack the city of Jericho. 
But the city was surrounded on all sides by a great 
wall, the gates were locked and barred, and the Jews 
could neither scale the walls nor break them down. 

Then Josue did a strange thing. He gathered 
the men of his army, and with the Ark in their 
midst, they marched around the walls of the city. 
This they did once a day for six days. On the 
seventh day they marched around the walls seven 
times. The priests blew their trumpets loud and 
clear, all the men shouted together, and at the same 
instant, with a terrible roar and crash, the walls of 
the city fell to the ground. The army entered, 
burnt the houses, and killed every person they found, 
till they came to the house of Rahab. Josue saw 
the red cloth hanging from the window, and ordered 
his soldiers to spare that home and all that were in 
it. 

God had commanded that the Jews should take 
nothing from the city; all things were to be de- 



104 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

stroyed, except the gold and silver, and that was to 
be given to the Lord, and laid up in the treasury. 
Now, among the Jews there was a man named 
Achan who found in the ruins of the city a pile of 
gold and silver; he took it and hid it in his tent. 
But God saw him do this and was angry, and He 
told Josue that some one had disobeyed Him. 
Josue called all the men before him; they drew lots 
and the lot fell to Achan. Seeing this, the guilty 
man fell down on his knees and confessed what he 
had done. In truth, they found in his tent the gold 
and silver, and brought it to Josue. "My son," he 
said, "because you have disobeyed the Lord, you 
must die." Achan was stoned to death before all 
the Jew T s, and his dead body was burnt, together 
with the gold and silver he had stolen. 

Then leaving the ruins of the city, Josue and his 
army marched against another town of Chanaan, 
called Hai. This city also was captured and de- 
stroyed and the inhabitants killed. 

One day whilst the Jews were resting in their 
camp, there came some men who seemed to have 
traveled from a great distance, for their clothes 
were stained with dust and mud, and their shoes 
were old and worn. "We have come from a dist- 
ance," they said, "and our people wish to make peace 
with you." "If you live in this country, which the 
Lord has promised to give us, we cannot make peace 
with you," answered Josue. "God has commanded 
us to fight this people and destroy their cities." 

"But," they urged, "our country is not here. See 
how worn and stained are our shoes and clothes; 
they were new when we set out on our journey, and 
we have been many days on the road." 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 105 

So Josue made a treat)' of peace with them, prom- 
ising to spare their lives and their cities. Not long 
after he learned that these people had deceived him. 
Instead of being far off, their cities were quite near, 
only a short journey from where the Jews were en- 
camped. 

Josue was angry. At first, he knew not what to 
do, for he had sworn not to destroy them. "Why 
did you deceive me?" he asked them. "We had 
heard that God promised to deliver all this country 
into your hands and ordered you to destroy the peo- 
ple who dwelt here," they answered; "so we were 
afraid and we deceived you, hoping our lives would 
be spared." "I cannot kill you," said Josue, "nor 
destroy your cities, for I promised that I would not ; 
but from this day you and your people shall be the 
servants of the Hebrews." 

Not long after, five of the kings of Chanaan 
banded together, and gathering a great army, set out 
to attack the Jews. Josue and his men met them 
and a terrible battle took place. All day long the 
fight continued, and both sides fought bravely and 
well. Suddenly there fell from heaven great stones 
on the heads of the enemy. God was fighting for 
His people. 

In terror, they tried to escape; but go whither 
they would, the stones rained down upon them, and 
many were killed. Then they gave way and, towards 
sundown, began to retreat. Josue saw that soon it 
would be night, and the enemy would escape in the 
dark. Lifting his hands to heaven, he cried out, 
"O sun, sink not into the western sky ; and thou, O 
moon, move not." 

An amazing miracle took place. The sun, about 



106 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

to sink beneath the horizon, was stopped, the light 
faded not, and the day kept on ; so that never was 
there known — before or after — so long a day. The 
light continued till all the enemy were defeated and 
many of them slain. 

The five kings escaped and hid in a cave. Some 
of the Jews found them there, and rolling a great 
stone to the mouth of the cave, came back and told 
Josue, who brought the kings out and hung them 
upon five gibbets, and so they died. 

Most of the country was conquered, many of the 
people were killed, and their cities were destroyed. 

Some of the inhabitants, however, remained; 
others escaped and went to live in other countries, 
and never returned to the land from which they 
were driven. 

Eighteen years were spent in this way, and at last 
the land rested from wars. 

Then Josue divided the land, giving a part to each 
of the twelve tribes of the Jews. 

Some of the cities were set apart as places of ref- 
uge for those who had shed human blood. If the 
slayer could prove he was guiltless of wilful mur- 
der, he was received into the place and could dwell 
there in safety. As long as he remained in the city, 
he was secure ; and after some years had passed, he 
could go back to his home without further danger. 

There were six of these cities of refuge, three on 
one side of the river Jordan and three on the other. 

All this while, the Ark of the Covenant was kept 
in the town of Silo, where it remained for three 
hundred years and more. 

Thus did God fulfil at last the promise he made 
to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob ; for now the Jews pos- 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 107 

sessed the land, and growing in numbers and 
strength, became a great and powerful nation. 

One of the cities of Chanaan was given to Josue 
as his own; who, now that the wars were over, re- 
tired to his city and lived in peace. But when he 
began to grow old and his last days were near, call- 
ing together the leaders of the people, he said to 
them : "You see that I am now old, and soon must 
join my fathers whom God has called to Himself. 
Listen to my last words. You have seen how God 
has been good to you. He has brought you out of 
the desert into this rich and fertile country. See 
to it that you serve Him faithfully and well. As 
long as you do so, He will be with you and you will 
dwell here in peace. But if you forget Him, the 
Lord will punish you with wars and plagues, and 
will take you away from this excellent land, which 
is now your own." 

At this, the men, all with a loud voice, promised 
and swore they would fear and serve the true God 
faithfully and forever. So Josue blessed them and 
sent them back to their homes. 

And having lived a long life, he died at the age 
of one hundred and ten years, and was buried in the 
Mount of Ephraim, where his tomb is seen to this 
day. 

After his death the Jews were faithful to the Lord 
and served Him, and they lived for many years in 
peace and happiness in the land that God had given 
them. 



io8 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 



GEDEON. 

In the early days, when the Judges ruled over 
Israel, a tribe of fierce and warlike people invaded 
Palestine. They overran the country, burning, de- 
stroying and killing. The Hebrews, in fear and 
dread, dared not face them, but fled to the caves 
and dens of the mountains. 

Not far off from where all this was taking place, 
there lived in a little town, called Ephra, a young 
man by the name of Gedeon. 

One day he was threshing wheat in his father's 
barn when, all of a sudden, an Angel appeared to 
him and saluted him: "The Lord is with you, O 
bravest of men, and has chosen you to deliver your 
people from the Madianites." 

"How can that be?" cried Gedeon in surprise, 
"How can I deliver Israel ? Why, my family is the 
least in all the tribe of Manasses, and I am the last 
in my father's house." 

"Yet it shall be so," the Angel said; "the Lord 
will be with you, and you will defeat these people 
and drive them out of the country. I will give you 
a sign that what I have said is true." 

Then Gedeon, by the Angel's command, took the 
flesh of a kid just cooked, with some loaves of un- 
leaven bread, and set them on a rock under a large 
oak. The Angel touched the bread with his rod ; at 
once fire came down from heaven and consumed the 
loaves and the flesh, and at the same instant the 
Angel disappeared. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 109 

That very night the Lord came to Gedeon whilst 
he was asleep, and said to him: "There is in this 
town an altar built to the false god Baal. You 
must destroy it, and, in its place, build an altar to Me 
on the same rock where the fire came down." The 
following night Gedeon did as the Lord had com- 
manded; he tore down the altar of Baal and built 
an altar to the true God. 

When morning came, the people of the town were 
astonished to see their altar destroyed. In their 
anger they cried out : "Whoever has done this shall 
die." It was told them that Gedeon had done this 
thing. They went to his house and demanded that 
he be given up to be put to death. Whilst they 
were clamoring and shouting, Joas, the father of 
Gedeon, came out to them : "Why are you so angry 
that the altar of Baal has been destroyed? You are 
Jews and ought to worship the true God, not a false 
one. Are you the friends and avengers of Baal 
that you fight for him? Let him fight for himself, 
and if he is really a god, let him kill the man that 
destroyed his altar." 

When they heard this they were ashamed of them- 
selves, and without another word, went back to 
their homes. 

By this time the Madianites had crossed the river 
Jordan and were coming nearer and nearer. Gedeon 
remembered what the Angel had said to him, and he 
began to prepare for the fight. In a short while he 
gathered together an army of over thirty thousand 
men ; but the enemy had over one hundred and thirty 
thousand. Gedeon was afraid and asked of God 
another sign, saying : "I shall put some fleece on the 
ground; now, if there be dew on the fleece and the 



no HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

ground around be dry, then I shall know that you 
will indeed save Israel by my hand." In very truth, 
the next day the fleece was wet with dew, but the 
ground about it was dry. 

Again he said : "Be not angry, O God, I pray you, 
if I ask another sign. This time let the ground be 
wet with dew and the fleece remain dry." The next 
morning he found it just as he had said. 

Now he knew that God indeed had called him, 
and would keep His promise, and he was filled with 
courage and ready to do all things to free his people 
from their cruel foe. 

He gathered his army about him and went in 
search of the enemy, and soon came in sight of them 
down in the valley below. 

Before the battle the Lord commanded him : "You 
have too many men with you. If you keep them all, 
the people of Madian shall not be delivered into your 
hands ; for then Israel would say you were saved by 
your own strength, and not by Me. Send home all 
that are cowardly or afraid." 

Gedeon did as he was told, and twenty-two thou- 
sand of his men left him; there remained only ten 
thousand. 

Again the Lord commanded : "There are still too 
many. Bring the men to the bank of the stream to 
drink ; those that drink the water, taking it up in the 
hollow of the hand, put on one side; those that drink 
with their face right down to the water, put on the 
other side." 

Gedeon did so, and the number of those who 
drank from their hand was three hundred; these 
he kept with him, the rest he dismissed. 

When night came, the Lord said to Him: "Go 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES in 

down into the valley alone, into the very camp of the 
enemy; or if you are afraid to go alone, take your 
servant with you. Fear not; I will protect you. 
You will hear what they have to say and will be 
greatly comforted by what you will hear." 

Gedeon waited till the night was well advanced, 
then he and his servant silently crept down to the 
camp, where all, save those on watch, were sleeping. 
Hiding behind a tree, he heard the men talking ; one 
was telling his dream to the other : "In my sleep I 
dreamed that an immense hearth cake of barley 
came rolling down into our camp; it came against 
a tent, struck it and beat it flat to the ground." The 
other answered : "This is nothing else but the sword 
of Gedeon, the son of Joas, for the Lord has de- 
livered Madian and all our camp into his hands." 

Hearing this, Gedeon was filled with confidence 
and courage, and at once returned to his people. 

The same night, gathering together his little army, 
he gave to each man a trumpet and a lighted torch 
hidden inside of a pitcher. With their swords by 
their sides, and armed in so strange a way, the three 
hundred men set out to attack an army of one hun- 
dred and thirty thousand. 

It was now midnight. Silently the men marched 
on to the tents of the enemy. Suddenly they 
sounded the trumpets and broke the pitchers with a 
loud noise, then waved the torches high in the air, 
crying out: "The sword of the Lord and of Ged- 
eon!" 

The soldiers of Madian awakened out of their 
sleep, hearing the noise and seeing the bright light 
of the torches, were seized with panic and knew not 
what to do. Instead of fighting the Jews, they 



ii2 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

turned in their mad fright against one another and 
killed many thousand of their own men. All the 
camp was in a tumult ; and crying out in their fear, 
the Madianites fled away towards the banks of the 
Jordan to escape to their own country beyond. 

But Gedeon quickly sent word to all the Hebrews 
near the river, who met and killed many of the 
enemy. And of all that immense army of over one 
hundred and thirty thousand men, there were left 
but fifteen thousand. 

Some of the Jews from the tribe of Ephraim w r ere 
jealous of Gedeon and upbraided him: "Why did 
you not call us sooner ? Did you want to do all the 
work of delivering Israel, and gain all the glory for 
yourself?" 

"Be not angry with me," Gedeon meekly an- 
swered ; "I have not done as much as you ; for you 
have captured and slain the two princes of Madian, 
Oreb and Zeb." And so the men of Ephraim were 
angry no longer. 

Gedeon and his three hundred men, still pursuing 
the fleeing enemy, crossed over the river and con- 
tinued the chase. 

He came to a certain town of the Hebrews and 
asked for food, because his men were hungry and 
faint. The ungrateful Jews refused him. They were 
afraid to help him, fearing the enemy would hear of 
it and be revenged later on. 

Coming to another town, he asked the same thing, 
and was again refused. Soon he overtook the army 
of Madian, who, thinking they were pursued no 
longer, were resting from their flight. Going 
around, Gedeon fell on them from the other side. 
The battle was short and fierce. Again the enemy 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 113 

fled in terror, pursued by the Jews, and nearly all 
were slain. 

Of that enormous army who came into the land 
of Israel to burn and destroy, only a handful re- 
turned to their own country. And from that day, 
the Madianites, reduced in numbers and strength, 
never troubled the Hebrews more. 

Gedeon and his men came back in triumph to their 
homes, and the people everywhere received him with 
joy and honor. They wished to make him king, but 
Gedeon refused. "No," he said, "I will not be your 
king; but the Lord shall rule over you and be your 
king." 

Saying this, he left them and returned to his home, 
where he lived for many years in peace and quiet. 

And all this time the land of Palestine rested from 
wars, whilst Gedeon was Judge in Israel. 

At last his days came to an end ; and, having lived 
a long and good life, he died and was buried in the 
tomb of his father, in Ephra, the home of his child- 
hood, from which God first had called him to save 
his country and his people. 



SAMSON. 

There lived in Palestine in the days of the Judges 
a pious, couple, Manue and his wife. They were 
not blessed with children, which was a cause of great 
sorrow to them, and often the woman prayed that 
God would give her a son. She was in the field one 
day, when suddenly an Angel appeared to her in 
the form of a beautiful young man. "God has 



ii4 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

heard your prayer and will send you a son," he said. 
"But you must drink no wine nor strong liquor. 
The child, too, shall drink no wine, and no razor 
shall touch his head, for he shall be consecrated to 
God and shall save his people from their enemies, 
the Philistines.' , Saying this he disappeared. 

A few days after, the Angel appeared again to the 
woman whilst she was in the field. She hastened at 
once to call her husband ; and this time both saw the 
messenger of God, who told them the same things he 
had said before. "I beseech you, let me give you 
something to eat," Manue said to him. "No," the 
Angel replied, "I will not eat; but you may offer a 
sacrifice to the Lord." 

Manue took a kid from the flock, killed it, placed 
the body on a pile of stones, and set it on fire. As 
the flame ascended in the air, to the great astonish- 
ment of Manue and his wife, the Angel went up in 
the flame and was seen no more. 

A year later, a son was born to them, and they 
called his name Samson. The child grew up just 
like any other child, but as he advanced in years he 
became stronger and stronger, till at last there was 
no one like him in all the country. 

All this while he drank no wine, and the hair on 
his head was never cut. 

And so many years passed. One day he told his 
parents : "I saw, some time ago, a beautiful young 
woman of the Philistines. I love her and wish to 
make her my wife." They were displeased at this : 
"Could you not find a wife among your own people," 
they asked, "without going to the heathens?" But 
Samson would have no other, so at last they con- 
sented. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 115 

He set out from home to visit the young woman. 
On the way, as he was crossing a wild rocky gorge 
in the hills, a lion sprang out in front of his path 
about to devour him. He seized the animal in his 
strong hands and tore him limb from limb, then 
threw him dead upon the ground. He went on his 
journey as though nothing wonderful had happened, 
and after some days returned home, passing the same 
way. Coming to the ravine where he had killed the 
lion, he saw a strange sight. There was the body 
of the dead animal, the mouth still wide open. Be- 
tween the jaws a swarm of bees had settled and made 
their hive and gathered their honey. He took some 
of the honey and ate it ; the rest he brought home to 
his parents, but did not tell them where he had 
found it. 

Some time after, he went back to marry the young 
woman. During the marriage feast he proposed a 
riddle to all the company : "If you can guess my rid- 
dle, I will give each one of you a coat and shirt; but 
if you do not, each one must give me a coat and shirt. 
I will give you seven days in which to guess it." 
"All right; what is the riddle?" "As I was travel- 
ing one day, I came to a certain place, and there I 
saw food come from the eater, and that which was 
sweet come from the strong. What does that 
mean?" For three days one thing and another was 
guessed, but no one could solve the riddle. Then 
the friends went secretly to Samson's wife and said 
to her : "Your husband is making a fool of us. You 
must find out what this riddle is and tell us ; if you 
do not we will kill you and burn your father's house." 

That night she went weeping and crying to her 
husband and complained thathe did not love her. 



n6 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

"What is the matter?" asked Samson. "You 
will not tell me what this riddle is and I wish to 
know." "Oh, is that all? I shall tell you what it 
is, but you must tell no one else. One day I saw the 
dead body of a lion, and in his jaws the bees had 
left their honey. The lion was the eater, the honey 
the food." 

The next morning she told her friends the an- 
swer. When the seven days were up, Samson asked 
them: "Well, can you answer my riddle?" "Yes, 
we can," they said. "What is stronger than a lion, 
or what is sweeter than honey? It is honey from 
the mouth of a lion." Samson cried out in anger. 
"You could not have answered this if some one had 
not told you, and it is my wife, since she is the only 
one that knew." 

At once he went out and killed thirty Philistines, 
and taking off their coats and shirts, gave them to 
the men who had answered the riddle, and so ful- 
filled his promise. Then he left the woman and re- 
turned to his father's house. 

Some time after, he was sorry he had left his 
wife and came back to see her, but her father would 
not let him in the house. "I thought you did not 
love her any more," he said, "because you left her; 
so I gave her in marriage to one of the young men 
who were at the feast." "Now," answered Samson, 
'"from this day I shall be the enemy of the Philis- 
tines and do them all the harm I can ; so look out for 
yourselves." Saying this, he left the town. 

As it was now the time of the harvest, Samson 
thought of a plan to make the Philistines suffer. 
Pie caught three hundred foxes and tied them, two 
by two, by the tails. To each couple he tied a 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 117 

lighted torch, and he let the animals loose in the 
fields of the Philistines. The foxes running hither 
and thither, set fire to the corn and vineyards and 
the olive trees, and before long everything was de- 
stroyed. 

This made the Philistines so angry that they killed 
both the young woman and her father. Then they 
set out in search of Samson, who had hidden in a 
cave some distance away. 

The Jews, seeing the army of Philistines coming 
into the country, were afraid, and asked what they 
wanted. 

"We have come after Samson," they replied; 
"find him and deliver him to us, and we will return 
home without doing you harm." So the Jews went 
to the cave where they knew Samson was hiding, 
and binding him with cords, delivered him captive 
to his enemies. The Philistines gave a shout of joy 
on seeing him bound and helpless. But they shouted 
too soon, for at the same moment Samson with one 
effort broke the cords asunder, stooped down, and 
taking the jaw bone of an ass that was lying on the 
ground, used it as a club, and with it killed one 
thousand of the Philistines. The rest fled to their 
homes in terror. 

It was a desert place where this happened, and 
Samson could find no water. In his thirst he cried 
to the Lord, and another strange thing took place. 
Water came out of the great tooth of the jaw bone 
of the ass. Samson drank as much as he would and 
then quietly returned home. 

Sometime after, he happened to go, one evening, to 
a city of the Philistines, called Gaza. Hearing he 
was there, the Philistines closed the gates of the city, 



n8 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

hoping to catch him in the morning and kill him. 
In the middle of the night Samson came out of the 
house where he was stopping. When he reached the 
gate, he found it closed and barred. Stooping down 
he lifted on his shoulder the two doors of the huge 
gate and carried them beyond the city to the top of a 
hill some distance away; then he continued on his 
journey in safety. 

Now, there lived in the valley of Sorec, near the 
home of Samson, a beautiful woman named Delila. 
Samson loved her, and wished to take her for his 
wife. The Philistines knew that he often went to 
see her, but they were afraid of him on account of 
his great strength. They said one day to the 
woman: Find out for us the secret of this man's 
strength, and if there is any way in which it can be 
taken from him. If you find this out for us, so that 
we can capture him, we will make you rich." The 
next time Samson came to see her, she asked him: 
"Tell me what makes you so strong. Is there any- 
thing that can bind you which you cannot break?" 
Samson suspected why she asked. "Yes; if I shall 
be bound with seven cords made of sinews not yet 
dry, but still fresh, I shall be weak like other men." 

The next day she sent word to the Philistines, 
who brought her the cords to bind him, then hid 
themselves in the house. When it was evening, and 
Samson was fast asleep, she bound his hands with 
the seven cords. Then she cried out: "Wake up, Sam- 
son; the Philistines are upon you." Awaking from 
his sleep, he broke the cords as though they were 
threads, and arose, but saw only Delila, for the men 
were afraid to come in. Seeing this, she upbraided 
him: "You are mocking me and have deceived me. 




DALILA. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 119 

Why are you afraid? I was only jesting with you. 
But now tell me the truth; what can bind you?" 
"If I shall be bound with new ropes that were never 
used before, I shall be weak like other men." 

Delila waited till he went to sleep again ; then she 
bound him with new ropes, and crying out: "The 
Philistines are upon you, Samson," woke him up. 

This time also he broke the ropes as though they 
were the web of a spider. In tears she reproached 
him: "How long will you deceive me and tell me 
lies ? Why will you not tell me truly how you can 
be bound?" "If you plait the seven locks of my hair 
with a lace," said he, "and fasten it to the ground 
with a nail, I shall be weak." 

As soon as he was asleep, she did as he said ; and 
cried out : "The Philistines are upon you." With- 
out even an effort he drew his hair from the floor, 
where it was fastened, and rose to his feet as strong 
as ever. Then Delila said to him: "Now I know 
that you do not love me, for you have deceived me 
so often and will not tell me the truth." And for 
days and days she coaxed and begged him to tell 
her, and she gave him no rest neither day nor night. 
At last, tired out and hardly thinking what he was 
doing, he put himself in her power, by telling her 
the secret. "When I was a child I was consecrated 
to God, and my mother made a vow that my hair 
should never be cut. If, therefore, my head be 
shaven, all my strength will depart from me, and 
I shall become weak like other men." 

Hearing this, she sent now secretly to the Philis- 
tines to come, for she had learned the truth at last. 
So they came and hid in the house. 

That night when Samson was fast asleep, she had 



120 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

his head shaved. Then she woke him, crying again : 
"The Philistines are upon you, Samson." 

He awoke to find that his strength had, indeed, all 
gone. The Philistines rushed in and seized him, 
binding him hand and foot. They plucked out his 
eyes and cast him into a dungeon, to lie there help- 
less and blind. 

Many long weary days he remained in the prison, 
praying to God to forgive his folly and restore his 
strength. 

In the meantime his hair began to grow again. 

One day the princes of the Philistines gave a great 
feast, to which they invited many people. They 
were gathered together in the large temple of their 
false god, who was called Dagon, and they brought 
Samson out of his prison to show him to the people. 
As he was being led out he said to the lad who 
guided his steps : "Let me touch the big pillars that 
support the whole building; let me lean upon them 
and rest a little.'' Then he prayed: "O Lord, re- 
member me, and restore to me now my former 
strength." Saying this, he took hold of the two 
immense pillars, and shaking them with all the great 
strength, which came back to him that moment, the 
whole building collapsed and fell, burying under 
it all that multitude of three thousand souls, and 
Samson himself was killed with them. 

His brethren and kinsmen, hearing of the terrible 
thing that had happened, took his body away and 
laid it to rest in the burying place of his father, in 
the land of his birth. And there, even to this day, 
after the lapse of three thousand years, is seen the 
tomb of the strongest man that ever lived, Samson, 
the Judge of Israel. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 121 



SAMUEL. 

Before there was a king in Israel, there dwelt 
in the mount of Ephraim a man of the tribe of Levi, 
whose name was Elcana. His wife, Anna, a good 
and virtuous woman, was very sad because God had 
given her no children. One day she went to the 
temple at Silo, and kneeling down, prayed long and 
earnestly, shedding many tears. Heli, the high 
priest, who was sitting near by, saw her and asked 
why she was so sad, and why she prayed so earnestly. 

"Alas, my lord/' she answered, "God has not 
blessed me in all these years with a single child. I 
have begged Him to give me a son, and have prom- 
ised to consecrate the child to Him and to His ser- 
vice." 

"Be comforted, my daughter," said he. "May 
God hear your prayer and give you a son. Now, go 
to your home in peace." 

Anna returned home greatly comforted, and sure 
enough, not long after, she had a son whom she 
called Samuel. 

Dearly as she loved the little one, she kept her 
promise to the Lord. After some years she brought 
the boy to the temple at Silo, and stood again before 
the high priest. 

"I am the same woman whom you saw here some 
years ago, praying that God would give me a child, 
and I promised to consecrate him to the service of 
the Lord in His temple. He heard my prayer, and 
this is the child. Take him, for he belongs to the 
Lord." Then leaving the boy, she returned home. 



122 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

Heli had two sons who were very wicked. When 
the people came to the temple to pray and offer sacri- 
fice, the young men mocked at them and drove them 
away. Their father was too lenient. Instead of 
punishing them severely, he was content merely to 
scold them, and so things went on for a long time. 
All this while Samuel ministered in the temple, and 
he was a good and beautiful child. Every night he 
slept before the door where the Ark of God was 
kept. 

One night, while he was fast asleep, the Lord 
called him. Waking up he cried out : "Here I am;" 
and receiving no answer, ran to Heli, "Here I am ; 
did you not call me?" "I did not call you; go back 
to sleep." 

A second time that night God called him, and 
Samuel arose again and ran to Heli : "Here I am, 
for you did call me." 

"Go back to sleep, my son," he answered; "I did 
not call you." 

Again the Lord called the child, and a third time 
he went to Heli. "Here I am, for surely you did 
call me." Then Heli understood that it was the 
Lord who had called Samuel, and he directed him : 
"Go back to sleep, and if any one calls you again, 
you must say, 'Speak, Lord, for Your servant hear- 
eth." In very truth, again the Lord called, "Sam- 
uel, Samuel !" At once he answered : "Speak, Lord, 
for Your servant heareth." 

Then the Lord said to him : "I have a terrible thing 
to tell you, so terrible that it will make your ears 
tingle to hear it. I know how wicked the sons of 
Heli are, and their father will not punish them. 
Therefore, I will punish him and them; Heli and 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 123 

his sons shall die in the same day, and that day is 
near." 

In the morning Samuel was afraid to tell Heli 
what the Lord had said. "My son, you must tell 
me," he commanded; "do not keep back a single 
word." Samuel told him all: "It is the Lord's 
will!" cried Heli. "Let Him do what is good in 
His sight." 

Not long after, it was heard that the Philistines 
were come into the country attacking the people and 
destroying the cities. They had gathered together 
in great numbers, and before long the two armies 
met. The battle was fierce and bravely fought, but 
by the evening the Jews were defeated, four thou- 
sand of their men having been killed. The rest fled 
to their camp, crying out, "Why did God let us be 
defeated by these heathens? Has He forgotten us, 
or abandoned us? Send for the Ark at Silo, and 
when it is in our midst we will gain the victory." 

They did so, and again the battle raged long and 
fiercely. A second time the Hebrews were defeated 
and driven away, leaving twenty thousand of their 
men dead on the field, and among the slain were the 
two sons of Heli. Worse than all, the Ark of the 
Covenant was captured and taken to the camp of the 
Philistines. 

A Hebrew soldier escaping, ran all the way to 
Silo. Heli was sitting at the door of the temple. 
He saw the man coming and cried out eagerly: 
"What of the battle?" 

"Our people are defeated, your two sons are slain, 
and the Ark of God is taken." 

At these dreadful words Heli fell speechless from 
his chair, and when they picked him up he was dead. 



124 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

In the meantime the Philistines returned in 
triumph to their city. They placed the Ark in their 
temple, by the side of their big idol, the statue of 
Dagon; then locking the doors, they left it there for 
the night. 

The next morning they found the big idol flat on 
its face upon the ground. They set it up in its place 
and, closing the doors, went out. The following 
day again they found it on the ground ; the head and 
hands were cut off and only the stump, or body, was 
left. 

Then there came upon the people a great plague 
of sickness, such as they had never known before. 
At the same time, a countless army of mice invaded 
the country, filling the city, the houses and the fields ; 
they were everywhere. The people in despair, knew 
not what to do. At last they made up their minds 
to get rid of the Ark, thinking it was the cause of all 
the mischief. Some advised: "Let it be carried 
about from one city to another." They were afraid 
to destroy it, lest something worse might happen. 

The plan was carried out, but wherever the Ark 
was taken, a terrible plague seized the people. 

And so for seven months the Ark was moved from 
place to place. Whenever the people saw it coming, 
they cried out in fear : "Take it away lest we die, for 
the hand of God is heavy on us, and the Ark will 
bring about our ruin.' , 

At last they consulted together and determined to 
send the Ark back to the Hebrews. And this is the 
advice the wise men gave : "Take two cows that have 
just had calves, yoke them to a wagon, and put the 
Ark on the wagon. Then lock up the calves in the 
stable, and whilst they are crying, set the cows loose. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 125 

Watch them. If they turn not to the right nor the 
left, but go straight to the country of the Hebrews, 
then you may know the Ark has done you all this 
harm; but if they will not go, then all this evil has 
happened to you merely by chance, and it was not 
sent by the God of the Hebrews." This counsel was 
followed, and as soon as the cows were let loose they 
went straight to the nearest city of the Jews, carrying 
with them the Ark of the Covenant. The Philistines 
followed afar off till they came near the Jewish city, 
then they turned back ; and from that day the plague 
ceased amongst them. 

The Hebrews, seeing the wagon in the distance, 
alone and without a driver, knew not what to make 
of it. As it drew nearer, they saw the Ark, and 
you may imagine with what joy and gladness they 
received it back amongst them. But that very same 
day, because some of the people touched the Ark and 
looked into it, God struck many of them dead. 
They were afraid then, and sent word to the priests 
that the Ark had returned, and to come and take it 
away. So it was carried into another city, but not 
to Silo ; and for many years it was kept in that place 
in great reverence and fear. 

Some time after, Samuel gathered the people to- 
gether, and addressed them thus : "You see how God 
has punished you for your sins, by giving you up to 
the Philistines. But now, if you will be sorry for all 
the evil you have done, and promise to do better, God 
will free you from your enemies." 

They promised to be faithful to the Lord and to 
serve Him with all their hearts. Then Samuel 
prayed for them and God heard his prayer. 

The Philistines, in the meantime, learned that the 



126 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

Jews were gathering together again, so they sent an 
immense army against them, and there was another 
battle. That day the Jews gained a great victory. 
The Philistines were defeated and driven out of the 
country ;' nor did they come again for many years 
into the borders of Israel and the land rested in 
peace. 

And now Samuel began to grow old, therefore, he 
appointed his two sons to help him as Judge of the 
people. These men were not good like their father, 
and the Jews did not care for them. 

One day the ancients of Israel came to Samuel, 
and said to him : "Behold, you are now old and your 
sons are not like you. Give us a king to rule over 
us, such as the other nations have." 

Samuel was displeased at this. "Do you not 
know that God is your king ? Are you tired of Him 
that you want another?" Then he prayed, asking 
God what he should do. 

The Lord told him to listen to them and do what 
they would wish, but first to tell them what rights 
and powers the king would have over them. 

So Samuel answered the men : "This will be the 
right of the king who shall reign over you. He will 
take your sons to be his soldiers and his attendants ; 
he will take your daughters to be his servants ; your 
own servants he will take from you, to use himself. 
He will take of your flocks and herds and of your 
goods, and you yourselves will be his servants. 
When that comes to pass, do not cry out against him 
to the Lord, for the Lord will not hear you, because 
you wished for a king." 

Still the people cried out : "Give us a king as other 
nations have." 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 127 

Then Samuel answered : "It shall be as you have 
said. Let every man go back to the city. The Lord 
will give you a king." 

Then it was that Samuel, guided by the Lord, 
found Saul and anointed him to be king over Israel. 
But all this I must tell you in another story, the 
story of Saul, the first king of the Jews. 

Samuel sent word to the people that he had found 
them a king. He gathered all Israel together and 
spoke to them : "Now I have done what you desired, 
and you have your king who is before you. If you 
will fear the Lord and be faithful to Him, He will 
be good to you and to your king. But if you will 
not listen to the voice of God, but will be disobedient 
to Him, His hand will be heavy upon you ; you and 
your king shall perish together." 

Saying this, he dismissed the people and returned 
to his home. It was some years after this again, 
that God said to Samuel : "You know that Saul has 
not been faithful to me and has disobeyed my word. 
Therefore I have rejected him and have chosen a 
new king, David the son of Jesse. Go now and tell 
him I have chosen him. You shall find him tending 
his father's sheep, and you shall anoint him king of 
Israel." 

Samuel did this time also as the Lord had said, 
then returned to his home where he abode in peace 
for the rest of his days. And now his end was 
come, and being full of years, and having always 
served God faithfully and well, he died; and all the 
people mourned for many days over the death of the 
last and the greatest of the Judges of Israel. 



128 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 



RUTH. 

In the days when the Judges ruled in Israel, there 
lived in the little town of Bethlehem a certain man 
with his wife, Noemi, and their two sons. 

It happened that a great famine came into that 
part of the country. So this man prepared to leave 
there, to go to the land of Moab, on the other 
side of the Dead Sea, where the famine had not 
found its way. 

He set out on his journey, taking his wife and 
sons, and after many days settled in his new home. 

For several years they lived happily there, and 
during this time the sons each took a wife; the name 
of one was Orpha, that of the other Ruth. In the 
meanwhile the father died, and Noemi went to live 
with her children. Ten years passed in this way; 
then both the sons died, leaving the mother a child- 
less widow. In her sorrow and distress her mind 
turned to her native country, and she determined to 
go back to Bethlehem. So she told her daughters- 
in-law she was about to leave them and go back to 
her home. Hearing this they wept, for they loved 
her devotedly. They wanted to accompany her, but 
this she refused to permit, saying: "Not so, my 
daughters. I am old and cannot give you husbands ; 
but you are young and will marry again among your 
own people, and will be happy in your life. Go 
home to your mothers, for I cannot bear to take you 
from your country and your people and bring you 
into a land to which you are strangers." She kissed 
them tenderly and bade them good-bye, and Orpha 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 129 

returned to her home and her people. But Ruth 
refused to go : "Ask me not to leave you, for I will 
not; but whithersoever you will go, I will go, and 
where you will dwell, I will dwell. Your people 
shall be my people, and your God my God. In the 
same land in which you will die, I also will die, and 
there I will be buried with you." 

Noemi, seeing that Ruth would not leave her, at 
last consented that they should go together to the 
land of Israel. Hand in hand, they set out on their 
long journey; and at the end of many days, they 
came to the town of Bethlehem in the time of the 
harvest. 

Soon it was learned in the town that Noemi had 
returned from the land of Moab. When her friends 
came to greet her, she cried out in her sorrow : "Call 
me not now Noemi, for that means beautiful, but 
call me Mara, which means bitter ; for the Lord has 
filled my life with bitterness and sorrow. He has 
taken my husband and children and left me poor 
and alone, save only for Ruth who would not leave 
me." 

Now there lived at that time in Bethlehem a rich 
man, whose name was Booz. This man owned a 
large farm, and his servants were just then reaping 
and gathering the corn. 

The day after the return to Bethlehem, Noemi 
said to Ruth : "My daughter, we must get something 
to eat." So Ruth went that day to a nearby farm, 
which happened to be the one that belonged to Booz, 
and picked up here and there a few ears of corn that 
were dropped by the reapers. 

Booz came into the field that afternoon and saw 
her. He enquired of his men who she was and what 



i 3 o HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

she was doing there. They told him that this was 
the young woman from Moab, who had left her 
country to come with her mother-in-law, Noemi. 
Booz went up to her: "My daughter, you must come 
every day to my farm and to no other. Gather all 
the corn you want, and at noon time, take your din- 
ner with my servants." 

Ruth was overjoyed : "Why," she exclaimed, "are 
you so kind to me, a stranger whom you have not 
even seen before?" 

"I have heard all that you have done for your 
mother-in-law since your husband's death ; how you 
left your parents and your country and came to a 
strange land and a strange people. May God re- 
ward you for the good you have done, and for your 
love to Noemi." 

Afterwards he secretly gave orders to the ser- 
vants to drop many ears of grain, as though by ac- 
cident, that Ruth might have all she needed. And 
so, day after day, she gathered from the field as 
much corn as she wished, until the harvest was over. 

One day Noemi said to her: "My daughter, this 
man in whose field you have gathered corn, is a rela- 
tive of my husband ; he is a good and a rich man. 
Now I wish to find a worthy husband for you, that 
you may be happy and may rest from your work. 
Do, therefore, what I shall say. Go to him this 
night and tell him that he is your kinsman, and that 
you have come to him for protection and care. Be 
not afraid, for he will do what is right?" 

So that evening Ruth went to him and spoke as 
Noemi had told her. "It is true," Booz replied, 
"that I am your kinsman, but there is one nearer 
than I. Tomorrow I shall see him; and if he gives 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S riEROES 131 

up his right I shall take you as my wife, for you are 
a good and loving daughter." Then he sent her 
home laden with provisions, and the next morning 
went to the city to look for the man. 

He was soon found. "You know," said Booz, 
"that Noemi has returned from the land of Moab. 
There is some land she wishes to sell which belonged 
to her husband, who was a near kinsman of yours. 
You have the first right to buy, for you are nearer of 
kin than I. Do you want it?" "Yes," the man an- 
swered, "I will buy it." "But I must tell you," said 
Booz, "that he who buys the land must marry Ruth, 
that the land may be kept in the possession of the 
family." "Oh, in that case," replied the other, "I 
give up my right to it, for I do not care to marry 
her. You may have the privilege if you wish." 

That very day Booz went to Ruth and asked if 
she would have him for a husband, to which Ruth 
who loved him for his kindness to her, readily con- 
sented. 

Therefore, in a few days a great feast was held in 
the town, and Booz and Ruth were married. Noemi 
lived with them, and for many years they had a 
peaceful happy life. Before long a son was born 
and they named him Obed. He grew up to be a 
good and virtuous man and had many children and 
grand children, one of whom was no other than the 
great king David, of whom I shall tell you many 
things in another story. 

In the meantime Noemi died; and, after many 
years, surrounded by their children, first Booz, then 
Ruth, closed their eyes in peace, and were laid to rest 
in the burial place at Bethlehem. 



132 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 



SAUL. 

On a certain summer's day, long ago, a young 
man, tall and handsome, was seen traveling along the 
roads of Palestine, accompanied by a servant. His 
name was Saul, and he was seeking the mules that 
had strayed from his father's farm. He had been 
upon his journey several days and had searched far 
and wide, but no trace of the animals was found. 

He was about to give up in despair and return 
home, when his servant told him : "There is in the 
city hard by, a prophet whose name is Samuel. Let 
us go to him ; perhaps he can tell where we may find 
the mules, for he is a man of God, and will know the 
things that are hidden." 

"But," objected Saul, "I have no money or pres- 
ents to give him, for I brought none with me." 
"Never mind," answered the servant, "I have some 
money that you may give him." 

So they came to the city, and inquired where Sam- 
uel was to be found. They were told he was in the 
city, and that very day was about to attend a sacri- 
fice offered in honor of some feast. 

Now it happened that the day before, God had 
warned Samuel : "On the morrow I will send to you 
a man of the tribe of Benjamin; he it is whom I 
have chosen to be king of the Jews, and he will free 
my people from their enemies, the Philistines." 

The next day, as Samuel was about to go to the 
sacrifice, he met Saul and at once recognized him to 
be the man of whom God had spoken. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 133 

Saul had never seen Samuel before and did not 
know him, and he asked : "Can you tell me where 
the prophet lives?" 

"I am the prophet," was the answer. "Come 
with me now to the sacrifice. Afterwards you shall 
come to my house, and I will tell you all you wish 
to know. As for the beasts that were lost, do not 
be worried about them, for they are found and have 
been returned to your father. But the very best 
that Israel can give is for you and your father's 
house." "How can that be?" cried Saul in as- 
tonishment : "my father's family is the last in all the 
tribe of Benjamin, and I am the least in my father's 
home. What do you mean?" 

But they were now come to the place of sacrifice ; 
and Samuel, taking Saul with him, showed him great 
honor among all who were present, placing him at 
table next to himself, and helping him with his own 
hand. 

When the feast was over he brought him to his 
own house and prepared a bed for him that night. 

The next morning, waking early, they set out 
from the town together. When they were alone, 
Samuel took a little vial of oil, and with it anointed 
Saul on the head, saying to him : "Behold the Lord 
has anointed you to be prince over His people, and 
has chosen you to be their king and to deliver them 
from their enemies. This will be a sign that what I 
have said is true. Shortly after you will have left 
me, this very day, you will meet two men near the 
tomb of Rachel, who will tell you that the beasts you 
were seeking are found. When you have gone a 
little further and have come to the oak of Thabor, 
you will meet three men, .one carrying three little 



i 3 4 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

kids, another carrying three loaves of bread, and the 
other a bottle of wine. After that, when you have 
come to the city of Gabaa, you will meet a company 
of prophets, and the spirit of the Lord will come 
upon you, and you also will prophesy as one of them. 
Return now to your home; shortly I will send for 
you and proclaim you king before all the people." 

Imagine, if you can, Saul's astonishment at these 
words. He knew not what to make of them. He, a 
poor unknown young man, to be king of Israel. He 
could hardly believe it possible. And as he went 
along, thinking of the strange things he had heard, 
his wonder grew yet more. 

He had not gone far when, just as Samuel had 
said, he met the two men, who told him the mules 
were found; then the three men near the tomb of 
Rachel; and nearer home he saw a company of 
prophets, or holy men. Joining them, he began to 
prophesy as one of them, and stayed several days 
amongst them. 

In the meantime Samuel called the people of 
Israel together in the city of Maspha, and told them : 
"Now you will see whom the Lord has chosen for 
your king." He drew lots for all the tribes of 
Israel, and the lot fell to the tribe of Benjamin. 
Then he drew lots for all the families of that tribe, 
and the lot fell to Saul the son of Cis. They called 
him, but he was not to be found. Sending to his 
home, they discovered him there, and brought him 
to Samuel. As soon as the people saw him, they 
cried out in admiration, for Saul was large and 
powerful, towering above them a foot higher than 
the tallest man among them. Samuel presented him 
to the multitude : "Behold the man whom the Lord 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 135 

has chosen; you see yourselves there is none like 
him among all the men." "God save the king!" 
rang out the cry, and the people crowded around 
him, shouting and cheering. There were a few 
among them though, who, disappointed, perhaps, 
that they were not chosen, refused to acknowledge 
him their king, and went back sullenly to their homes. 

Not long after, the people of Ammon, led by their 
king, a bitter enemy of the Jews, laid siege to a cer- 
tain city of Israel. The inhabitants begged him to 
spare them and their city, promising to serve him 
faithfully and give him all the money he wished. 

"I will spare you on this condition," was the an- 
swer; "that every one of you pluck out your right 
eye and give it to me." 

Saul heard of this, gathered his army about him, 
and set out at once, sending word to the city : "To- 
morrow, when the sun shall be high in the heavens, 
you shall have relief." 

The next day, early in the morning, he divided 
his army into three parts and fell upon the enemy's 
camp. In a moment everything was in confusion. 
The people of Ammon were struck with terror and 
dread ; and when the sun was well up in the heavens, 
those who were not killed were fleeing back to the 
country from which they had come. 

Soon another enemy of the Jews, the Philistines, 
gathered a great army, with thousands of chariots 
armed all around with long, sharp knives. The He- 
brews were afraid and hid in the dens and caves of 
the hills and in the thickets of the forests. Saul, 
with a small band of men, remained in the city of 
Galgal. Samuel had warned him to wait there 
seven days, until he came to offer sacrifice to God 



136 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

for his success against the enemy. Saul waited, 
but as Samuel had not yet come, the men began to 
grow impatient and afraid, and many of them 
slipped away in the night. Still Saul waited the 
seven days; then he, too, began to fear that the 
enemy might come upon him and capture the whole 
party. So he determined to wait no longer, but to 
offer the sacrifice himself. Hardly had he finished 
the offering when Samuel came. Saul tried to ex- 
cuse himself: "I saw that the people were slipping 
away from me, and you had not yet come; so I 
offered the sacrifice myself, for I was afraid the 
Philistines would come upon me before I could get 
away." 

"Alas," said Samuel, "You have done foolishly 
indeed, and have not obeyed the Lord. Had you 
waited, as He wished, the kingdom of Israel would 
have belonged to you and your children forever. 
But because you have disobeyed Him, it shall be 
taken from you and given to another." Saying this, 
Samuel left him and returned to his home. 

Now the king had a son whose name was Jona- 
than, a good and brave young man, whom he dearly 
loved. 

One day, whilst his father's little band was resting 
not far from the Philistines, Jonathan determined 
to go down to their camp. Taking his servant, he 
stole quietly away, and climbing over the rocks and 
cliffs, presently came in sight of their tents. These 
men will see us soon," said Jonathan. "If they say 
to us, 'Wait there till we come up to you,' let us 
stand where we are. But if they say: 'Come over 
here to us,' then let us go, for it will be a sign that 
God has delivered them into our hands." 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 137 

The two men stood boldly up on the crest of the 
hill where all the Philistines could see them. Some 
of them shouted out: "Come over here, we have 
something to show you." At once they went over 
to the camp, crawling on their hands and feet ; then 
rising suddenly, they struck right and left with their 
swords, killing every man in reach. The Philistines, 
instead of falling on the two men, were struck with 
a terrible dread ; the ground shook as with an earth- 
quake, and the whole camp was in confusion and up- 
roar, no one knowing what was the matter. The 
watchman in the camp of the Jews saw, in the dis- 
tance, the whole multitude overthrown and fleeing 
in every direction. 

At once Saul asked: "Who has left our camp?" 
They told him, "Jonathan and his servant." 

The uproar grew louder and louder. Saul ordered 
his men to charge on the camp and pursue the Philis- 
tines. The slaughter was terrible, for the enemy 
had turned against themselves and were killing their 
own men, not knowing what they were doing; and 
many were killed by the Jews. 

Whilst Saul was in hot pursuit he commanded his 
men not to stop, even to eat or drink, adding: "If 
any man this day shall taste food until the enemy 
is destroyed, that same man himself shall die; and 
this I swear." 

Now it happened that Jonathan did not hear this ; 
and as he was pursuing the Philistines, coming to a 
woods he saw some honey on the round. Being 
faint, for he had eaten nothing that day, he tasted a 
little of the honey and went on. 

When they returned Saul learned that Jonathan 
had disobeyed him,and,before all the people,declared 



138 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

that he must die. And he would have put his son 
to death, but the people cried out : "Not so ; Jonathan 
shall not die ; it was through him this great deliver- 
ance has been wrought. As the Lord liveth, not one 
hair of his head shall touch the ground." So they 
saved his life and prevented Saul from doing as he 
had said. 

Then the king and his army returned home; and 
the Philistines went back to their cities. 

Among the enemies of the Jews there was a race 
called the Amalecites, who were a very wicked peo- 
ple, and God wished to punish them for their many 
crimes. 

Samuel came one day to Saul with the message : 
"The Lord is about to punish the Amalecites for 
their evil ways. Go, therefore, against them and de- 
stroy them entirely. Spare nothing; kill men, wo- 
men and children, oxen and sheep, taking nothing 
away alive. This is the command of the Lord." 

Saul called together his army and set out for the 
country of Amalec. At a moment the enemy least 
expected any trouble, he fell upon them, drove them 
out of their city, pursued them far and wide, and 
killed their whole army. He captured their king, 
but did not kill him; and the best of the cattle and 
the flocks he spared. As he was coming back in 
triumph, Samuel went to meet him. "What does 
this mean?" he asked. "I hear the bleating of sheep 
and the lowing of cattle. Has not the Lord com- 
manded you to spare nothing, but to kill all?" "I 
have kept these," replied Saul, "to offer in sacrifice 
to the Lord." "Obedience is better than sacrifice," 
was the answer; "it would have been better for you 
to have done as the Lord commanded. Because you 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 139 

have disobeyed and have rejected the word of the 
Lord, the Lord has rejected you from being king/' 
And Samuel turned away from him; but as he 
turned to go, Saul caught him by the skirt of his 
cloak and it was torn in two. "So shall the Lord 
tear the kingdom of Israel away from you,'' said 
Samuel, "and give it to a better man." 

Then he struck the king of Amalec with the sword 
before all the people, and killed him. 

This was the last time Samuel ever went to see 
king Saul. 

Not long after this he went in secret to David, the 
son of Jesse, and anointed him king in place of Saul. 
From this time the king began to be tormented with 
an evil spirit. Often he became moody and sad. 
He knew that God had abandoned him and would 
take the kingdom from him some day, and he was 
no longer bright and happy. 

His servants sought for some one to amuse the 
king, and drive the gloom and sadness away. They 
found the youth, David, and brought him to Saul; 
and whenever the evil spirit was upon the king, 
David played upon his harp, and the king became 
better. 

It was about this time that David killed the giant, 
Goliath, as I shall tell you in another story, and from 
that day Saul became jealous of the young man, and 
no longer cared for him as before. 

Once, being still grievously tormented with the 
evil spirit, and David having come to play for 
him upon the harp, without any warning, the king 
seized his spear and threw it at the youth, thinking 
to nail him to the wall ; but David escaped from the 
palace and hid some distance away. Saul went in 



140 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

search of him, taking a body of soldiers. He had 
just caught up to David, and was about to capture 
him, when a messenger came in hot haste, crying 
out that the Philistines were pouring into the coun- 
try again in great numbers ; and so David escaped. 

For a fact, the Philistines had gathered together 
an enormous army and prepared again to make war 
against Israel. Saul was sore afraid. He consulted 
the Lord to ask how the battle would result, but no 
answer came. Samuel was dead, and there was no 
prophet in the land to give him hope or comfort. 

There lived at this time in Endor a certain woman 
who was a witch. Saul determined to consult her 
about the coming fight. So he disguised himself, 
and taking two of his attendants, set out on foot, 
and came by night to Endor. He asked the witch 
to call up the spirit of Samuel. "How can I do 
that?" she replied, "Do you wish to lay a snare for 
my life? You know that king Saul has expelled all 
the magicians from the country, and has ordered that 
if any be found, they shall be put to death." But he 
reassured her : "Be not afraid to do as I say, for no 
harm shall come to you." Then the woman, with 
her magic arts, called up the spirit of Samuel, who 
had now been dead some time, and strangely enough, 
Samuel's spirit appeared in the room and spoke: 
"Why have you disturbed my rest and have brought 
me here?" "I am in great distress," answered Saul, 
"for the Philistines are fighting against me again. 
God is departed from me and will not hear me. I 
have called you that you might tell me what I must 
do, and what the future will be." 

"Why do you ask me?" said Samuel. "The Lord 
has departed from you indeed. It shall be as I have 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 141 

told you before; the Lord will wrest the kingdom 
from you, and give it to another. Because you dis- 
obeyed Him, He will deliver you and your people 
into the hands of the Philistines. Tomorrow you 
and your sons shall be with me, for you shall die." 
Saying this, he disappeared, and Saul, in terror, fell 
flat on the ground. Then leaving the house, the 
king returned that night to his home. 

The next day the battle raged fiercely, and the He- 
brews were driven back, many being killed, while the 
rest turned and fled. Saul and his sons, surrounded 
by the bravest of his army, made their last stand 
on the top of Mount Gelboe. The Philistines at- 
tacked the little band on every side. Jonathan and 
the other sons of Saul were struck down, and at last 
the king himself was wounded by an arrow. Seeing 
how badly he was hurt, and pressed on every side 
by the enemy, he turned to one of his soldiers: 
"Quick," he said; "take your sword and kill me; for 
I would rather die by your hands than by the hands 
of the enemy." The soldier refused to kill the king. 
Then Saul took his own sword, placed the point 
against his breast, and falling with all his weight 
upon it, was pierced to the heart : and thus he died. 

Not one of the Hebrews remained ; those that were 
not killed, had fled to whatever shelter they could 
find. On the morrow the Philistines found the 
king in the midst of the slain. They cut off his 
head, and the body they hung upon the walls of the 
city. 

Shortly after a band of Hebrews, in the dead of 
night, came to the city, stole away the bodies of Saul 
and his sons, and returning to their home, burnt the 



142 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

bodies ; and the bones they buried in the woods near 
by. 

Such was the sad end of a life begun so well, and 
so perished Saul, the first king of the Jews. 



DAVID. 

Chapter I. 

In the days of king Saul, in the little town of 
Bethlehem, there lived a man by the name of Jesse. 
He had several sons, the youngest of whom was 
called David. 

One day Samuel, the great prophet, came to Beth- 
lehem. He sent for Jesse and asked to see his sons. 
First the eldest came, a tall and handsome young 
man. Samuel asked the Lord: "Is this the one?" 
"No," came the the answer; "This is not the one." 
The next came, but he also was rejected; and so for 
all the rest except the youngest, who was away tend- 
ing the sheep. "Send for him," said Samuel ; "I will 
not rest nor sit down until he comes." So they sent 
for David, a boy beautiful in form and face, fair 
and innocent. The Lord said to Samuel : "This is 
the one I have chosen. Anoint him." 

In the sight of all his brethren the prophet 
anointed David with the sacred oil, and from that 
day God was with him ; for this boy was the future 
king of Israel. 

Samuel then left the city and returned to his home, 
and David went back to his sheep. 

Not long after, messengers came to Bethlehem 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 143 

seeking for one who could play the harp, and it was 
told them that David, the son of Jesse, was skilful in 
music. They asked if he would come to the palace 
of king Saul and play before him. 

David consented, and came to live with Saul, who 
soon loved him and kept him always near. When 
the evil spirit was upon the king and he became sad 
and gloomy, David played on the harp and he be- 
came better, and the evil spirit departed for a while. 

In the meantime the Philistines brought together 
again a large army to fight the Hebrews ; their camp 
was on the sides and top of a mountain. Beyond 
the valley, on the opposite mountain, the camp of 
the Hebrews lay. In the army of the Philistines 
there was a great giant, whose name was Goliath, 
of the city of Geth. He was an enormous man, 
clothed in thick heavy armor; the staff of his spear 
was like a weaver's beam. Every day this man went 
down into the valley between the two camps and 
dared any of the Hebrews to come out and fight him, 
promising that whoever gained the victory would be 
master of the whole camp. The Jews were afraid 
of him, and no one would take up the challenge. 

Saul promised to give his own daughter in mar- 
riage to the man who would fight and slay the giant, 
but no one in all the army was found brave enough 
to face Goliath. David heard of this and went to 
the king, asking to be allowed to fight the giant. 
"You are only a boy," exclaimed Saul; "You can- 
not stand against this man, who has been a warrior 
from his youth." 

"One day," said David, "when I was keeping my 
father's sheep, a lion and a bear came out of the 
woods and stole a ram from the midst of the flock. 



144 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

I went after them and took the ram out of their 
jaws; and when they rose up against me, I caught 
them both by the throat and strangled them to death. 
Let me fight this man, for the Lord Who delivered 
me out of the jaws of the lion and the bear, will de- 
liver me from this giant and give me the victory." 

The king consented. Then taking with him only 
a sling and some small stones, David went out to 
meet the giant. 

Goliath, seeing the boy without sword or armor, 
cursed him in anger : "Am I a dog, that you come 
out to me with a sling ? Come here, and I will give 
your body to be eaten by the birds and the beasts." 
David advanced fearlessly. He loaded the sling 
with one of the little stones, whirled it around his 
head, and let it fly straight and true. 

The stone struck the giant full in the forehead and 
felled him to the ground. David ran up, took his 
sword from him, and struck off his head. Both 
camps were watching the combat. As soon as 
Goliath fell, the Philistines fled, and the Hebrews 
running out of their tents, pursued them ; and many 
of the enemy were slain that day. 

David returned to the king, and the women came 
out to meet him, singing in joy and triumph : "Saul 
has killed his thousands, and David his tens of 
thousands." Saul heard this and grew angry. 
"What does this mean ?" he cried ; "they have given 
David ten thousands, and to me they have given but 
a thousand ! Soon they will give him my kingdom." 
He became jealous of David, and from that hour 
did not love him as before. The next day David 
was playing the harp before the king, who was 
silent and gloomy, for the evil spirit was upon him. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 145 

Saul was holding a spear in his hand when, all of a 
sudden, he threw the spear full at David, thinking 
to kill him; the young man sprang aside just in time, 
and escaped from the room. Shortly after, Saul 
made him a captain and sent him to the front, where 
the fighting was going on, hoping he would be killed. 
He told him : "If you will slay one hundred Philis- 
tines, I will give you my daughter in marriage." 

David took a company of men, and falling upon 
the Philistines, killed two hundred of their number 
and returned to the king. Saul received him again 
into the palace, and David played before him as in 
former days. A second time the king attempted to 
kill him, but David escaped from the palace and 
went to his house. That night Saul sent guards to 
watch the house, that he might catch David in the 
morning and put him to death. But earlier in the 
night, David's wife let him out of the house by a 
back window, whence he escaped in the dark and fled 
to the city where Samuel lived. In the meanwhile 
she took a wooden figure, clothed it in his garments, 
and laid it in his bed. When it was morning, the 
officers entered the house and went up to David's 
room, where they were met at the door by his wife : 
"Hush," she said, "make no noise. David is sick 
and is now asleep. I pray you wake him not." 
Looking into the darkened room, they saw the figure 
in the bed and they thought it was really David, so 
they went back to Saul, leaving one of the officers to 
guard the house. The king was furious : "What care 
I if he be sick or not? Bring him here in his bed, 
ill or well." They returned to the house, and going 
to the side of the bed, discovered they had been 
tricked, and that David had escaped. 
10 



146 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

You can imagine the anger of Saul when he 
learned that David had fled from the city and was 
out of his reach. He set out in hot pursuit, but 
David was not to be found. 

I must remind you that Saul had a son named 
Jonathan. From the first day Jonathan saw David, 
he loved him as his own brother, and their friendship 
grew stronger day by day. 

After a while David left Samuel's home and went 
secretly to Jonathan: "What have I done to your 
father," he asked, "that he should be so angry with 
me and seek to kill me ? I have done him no wrong. 
I wish you would find out what he is going to do, and 
if I can come back to him in safety. You know that 
tomorrow is a feast in the king's palace, and it is 
the custom for me to be with him then. When he 
asks for me, tell him I have gone to Bethlehem for a 
few days. If he says it is well, then I can return in 
safety; if he is angry, then I shall know he still seeks 
to put me to death. But how will you let me know 
what he says, for the king may be watching you, 
knowing that you are my friend ?" Jonathan thought 
for a while, then answered : "I have found a way to 
let you know. You must be hid in this field ; and I 
shall come with my servant, to shoot with the bow 
and arrow. When I have shot three arrows, if I say 
to the boy, 'The arrows are on this side,' it will mean 
that you can return; if I say 'The arrows are further 
over on the other side,' it will mean that the king is 
still angry, and you must not come back to him." 

On the morrow, when the king sat down to dinner, 
David's place was empty. The first day the king 
said nothing ; but the next day, seeing the place still 
empty, he asked where David was, and Jonathan 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 147 

told him he had gone to Bethlehem for a iew days. 
Then the king cried out in anger : "Why did you let 
him go? Did you not know that he is my enemy 
and yours, and will take the kingdom away from us ? 
Now go after him and bring him here, for he shall 
die." 

"Why should he die?" asked Jonathan; "what 
evil has he done?" At this Saul took up his spear 
to strike his own son, but Jonathan fled from the 
house. When morning was come, taking his ser- 
vant, a young lad, he went to the field where David 
lay hid. Three times did he shoot with his bow; 
then he said in a loud voice to the boy: "Get me 
those arrows ; they are further over on the other side, 
beyond you." 

When the boy brought the arrows, Jonathan sent 
him back into the city. Looking carefully around 
to see that no one was near, he went up to the place 
where David lay hid, and called him. 

The two embraced, and in tears bade each other 
good-bye; then David went away and Jonathan re- 
turned to the city. 

After traveling for some time David came at last 
to the town where the Ark of the Covenant was 
kept. Being faint and weary, he asked the priest in 
charge for something to eat. "We have only the 
holy bread which is placed before the Ark," he was 
told ; "but you may have that." Then he asked for 
a spear or a sword, for in his haste he had left his 
weapons behind. The priest gave him the sword of 
Goliath, because it was the only weapon there. 
David took it and departed. It happened that just 
at this time a certain man came into the temple and 
saw all this. He was a friend of the king, and at 



148 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

once went to Saul and told him that David had been 
there, and that the priest had fed him and given him 
the sword of Goliath. When Saul heard this, he 
put to death the priest and many others in the city, 
so angry was he that David had escaped. In the 
meanwhile David went to the wilderness to live. 
There he gathered together some two hundred men, 
and made himself their captain. 

One day, learning that the Philistines were at- 
tacking a certain city of Israel, he went up with his 
men, drove the Philistines away, and returned to the 
wilderness. Saul heard of this and set out 
to the city seeking for David, and, not find- 
ing him, pursued him into the desert. At last 
he came to a mountain, and on the other side 
of the mountain David lay hid, unable to go any 
further. Saul was just about to capture him, when 
messengers came in great haste to say that the Philis- 
tines were pouring into the land. As soon as Saul 
had gone, David left his hiding place and went into 
a wilderness full of rocks and caves. Soon Saul 
came after him again with an army of three thou- 
sand men, determined to take him alive or dead. 
David was lying hid with some of his men in the 
innermost part of a deep cave. To his astonishment, 
he saw the king enter the cave alone, not thinking 
any one was there, and lie down to sleep. David 
quietly crept up and, without waking him, cut off 
the hem of his robe, but he would not suffer his men 
to touch a hair of his head or do him any harm. 

When the king awoke and was going out of the 
cave, David rose up behind him: "O king, behold 
this day the Lord has put you in my power, and I 
could have killed you, but I would not. See the 




DAYID IN KING SAUL'S TENT. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 149 

hem of your robe that I hold in my hand." "You 
are more just than I," acknowledged Saul; "youhave 
spared my life while I was seeking yours. I know 
that some day you will be king in my place. Swear, 
therefore, to me, that when this comes about, you 
will do no harm to my house." David promised, 
and Saul left him in peace. 

Now there dwelt not far from this place a rich 
man, who was very miserly and close. Often David 
and his men had guarded the flocks of this man and 
kept them from being stolen by robbers. One day 
David sent two of his followers to him, to ask for 
provisions for his band. But the man, with many 
rough words, re fused, declaring he would not give his 
hard-earned goods to a vagabond and adventurer. 
This angered David, and he sent some of his soldiers 
to take what they wanted by force, and, if necessary, 
to kill him. 

Whilst they were on their way they met some men 
carrying great quantities of provisions of every 
kind ; at their head was a woman. She came up to 
David and addressed him: "I am the wife of the 
man to whom you sent, and I heard how roughly 
and meanly he treated you. I beseech you be not 
angry with him, but accept this present from me, 
and do no harm to my house." David was ap- 
peased, accepted the provisions, and returned to the 
place whence he came. 

Soon after the rich man died, and David, sending 
for the woman, asked if she would be his wife. She 
joyfully consented, and gave him all the wealth of 
her former husband. 

Not long after, Saul set out again to capture 
David, and came to the desert where he was hid. In 



150 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

the dead of night David entered secretly the camp 
of the king. He went quietly to his tent and looked 
in ; Saul was sound asleep, with his spear and his cup 
by his side. David would not lift his hand against 
the king ; but taking his spear and his cup, he left the 
tent, then called out in a loud voice. The king heard 
him and awoke, and learning what had happened, 
returned to his home without molesting David 
further. 

Weary of his many wanderings, David at last de- 
termined to take refuge among the Philistines. So 
he took his band of men and was received by the 
Philistines of Geth, who gave him a home in their 
city, and there he dwelt a long time. When the time 
appointed by God arrived, that David should become 
king of the Jews, the Philistines went out to fight 
against Saul and his people, leaving David behind. 
A great battle was fought; Saul and many of 
his men were killed. David was resting at home, 
when a messenger came running, all covered with 
mud and dust : "I am from the camp of the Hebrews, 
the people are fled, many have fallen, Saul and Jona- 
than are killed." 

"How do you know that Saul and Jonathan are 
killed?" asked David. "I was upon the top of Mount 
Gelboe, and I saw the king leaning upon his spear, 
by the dead body of his son. He called me to him, 
thrust the spear into my hand, and said to me : T am 
wounded; stand in front of me and kill me with my 
spear.' So I killed him, and took the crown from 
his head, and the bracelet from his arm, and I have 
brought them to you, my lord." 

Instead of rejoicing that his enemy was dead, 
David wept; and mourning over the death of Jona- 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 151 

than, he cried out: "I grieve for thee my brother 
Jonathan, exceeding beautiful and amiable to me 
above the love of women. As the mother loves her 
only son, so did I love thee." 

Then turning in anger to the messenger, he cried 
out: "Were you not afraid to kill the Lord's 
anointed?" And he ordered his men to kill him 
where he stood. 

For many days David mourned over the death of 
Saul and Jonathan ; then leaving that place, he went 
by the direction of God, to the city of Hebron, in 
Juda. 

The men of Juda received him with joy, and pro- 
claimed him king before all the people. 

And so after many hardships and dangers, the 
words of Samuel were fulfilled, and David became 
the king of the Jews. 

Chapter II. 

Seven years had now passed. Two of the Twelve 
Tribes had acknowledged David as king; the rest 
had followed a son of Saul, whose name was 
Isboseth. 

At last Isboseth was murdered by his own men. 
Then all the tribes of Israel came to David in Heb- 
ron and chose him as their king, and from that day 
he reigned over all the country of the Jews. 

He left Hebron and took up his abode in Jeru- 
salem, and there he built a magnificent palace. 

When the Philistines heard that David was king 
of Israel, they came in great numbers into the coun- 
try to attack him ; but in every battle they were de- 
feated and driven back, and many of their number 



152 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

left dead on the field. And so day after day the 
king grew in power and in strength, and his fame 
spread abroad in the land. 

It was at this time he made up his mind to bring 
the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem to keep it 
there in greater honor and splendor. Therefore, a 
few days later a magnificent procession was seen 
coming towards the city ; in the midst was the Ark, 
surrounded by priests. All of a sudden the pro- 
cession stopped; the Ark was seen to lean to one 
side as if about to fall, for the oxen who were draw- 
ing the wagon grew restive and kicked. Oza, a 
prince of Israel, took hold of the Ark to keep it from 
falling. In an instant he fell dead to the ground, 
struck by the hand of God. 

No one had a right to touch the Ark save only the 
priests, and God punished Oza in this terrible way, to 
show how deep a reverence we should have for holy 
things. 

Great consternation and fear fell upon all. David 
was even afraid to bring the Ark into the city, think- 
ing that God was angry with his people. So for 
three months it remained in that place. After a 
while the king, regaining courage, brought the Ark 
into Jerusalem with great pomp and rejoicing, and 
placed it in a magnificent tabernacle he had built for 
it; and there it remained all the years of his life. 

One day the king was resting in his house, and 
was thinking how God had been good to him, to 
raise him from a shepherd, tending the flocks, to the 
throne of Israel. And he said to himself : "Behold, 
I am living in a magnificent palace and the Ark of 
God dwells only in a tabernacle. I will make a 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 153 

great temple to be the house and the resting place of 
the Ark." 

While he was thinking these things, God sent a 
prophet to him with the message : "I know that you 
wish to build a temple for the Ark; this thought is 
good. But you have been a man of many battles, 
and have shed much blood; therefore, you cannot 
build the temple. But your son, who will come after 
you, who will be great and glorious, will build the 
temple for Me, and I will bless it and will fill it with 
My glory." Many more battles were fought by 
David during these years against the enemies of the 
Hebrews. Everywhere he gained the victory. The 
nation of the Jews became stronger each year, and 
all the surrounding tribes feared them on account 
of their great king. 

All this time David never forgot the love he had 
borne to Jonathan. He inquired if there were any 
of his children still living. It was told that Jona- 
than had left a son, who was lame and weak. David 
had search made for him ; and when he was found, 
they brought him to Jerusalem to the king. David 
received him with joy, showed him every kindness, 
and made him live in his palace and eat at his table, 
all the days of his life. 

But now I must tell you the sad story of the terri- 
ble crime David committed; a crime of which after- 
wards he bitterly repented, and for which God 
punished him severely. 

There was in the army of the king a certain cap- 
tain, whose name was Urias, a good and brave man. 
He was with the soldiers some distance away, fight- 
ing the king's battles. One day as David was taking 
a walk, he saw a most beautiful woman. He asked 



154 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

who she was, and they told him she was Bethsabee, 
the wife of Urias. 

He sent for her and asked if she would be his wife. 
She consented ; but about that time Urias came home. 
The king determined to put him out of the way; so 
he gave him a sealed letter to deliver to the general 
to place Urias in the front ranks of the soldiers, 
where the battle was fiercest, and leave him there to 
be captured by the enemy, or killed. Little suspect- 
ing what the letter contained, Urias delivered it to 
the general in command of the troops; and, as David 
had planned, in the midst of the battle a few days 
afterwards, Urias was the first to be slain. 

A messenger hastened to David, telling him the 
news, and shortly after the king sent for Bethsabee, 
and took her as his wife. But the Lord knew what 
a wicked thing he had done, and He sent the prophet 
Nathan to him with this message : "I have something 
to say to you, O king. There were two men in a 
certain city; one man was rich and the other poor. 
The rich man had many sheep and oxen; the poor 
man had but one little lamb. On a certain day a 
stranger came to the house of the rich man and was 
entertained. But the rich man was too miserly to 
take from his own flock for the dinner, so he took by 
force the one little lamb of his poor neighbor, and, 
killing it, he put it on the table for the stranger to 
eat." 

Hearing this, David, in great anger, exclaimed: 
"As surely as God lives, the man that has done this 
thing shall die." 

Nathan, with hand outstretched to David, cried 
out: "You are the man. Thus saith the Lord: T 
made you king over all Israel, and I delivered you 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 155 

from the hand of Saul, and gave you great riches 
and possessions. And you took from Urias all that 
he had, his wife; and himself you killed with the 
sword of his enemies. Because you have done this 
thing, the sword shall never depart from your house, 
and the child that is born to you of this woman shall 
die/ " 

David was struck with sorrow and shame for what 
he had done, and he prayed for forgiveness : "I have, 
indeed, sinned against the Lord. Have mercy on 
me, O God, according to Thy great mercy, and blot 
out my iniquity ; for I know my iniquity, and my sin 
is always before me." 

Nathan returned home, and before long, the child 
that was born took sick and died. But this was 
not the only punishment David was to endure. He 
had another son, whose name was Absalom. He 
was a handsome young man and proud of his long, 
flowing hair. 

He had murdered one of the princes, and was 
obliged to flee from Jerusalem, and for three years 
he remained away from the city. After the three 
years were over, however, he came back and made 
himself very popular by a simple device. When any 
one came to the palace to see his father, Absalom 
went down first, asked his business, and attended to 
it himself ; and so he gained the hearts of many in 
Israel. 

Not long after, he left Jerusalem and went to 
Hebron. There he gathered a great army about 
him and broke out in rebellion against his father, 
wishing to be king in his stead. 

The revolt spread far and wide, and many of the 
Jews flocked to his camp. 



156 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

David determined to leave Jerusalem, for he was 
told that Absalom and his army were marching on 
the city to capture it and kill the king. He had left 
the city and had gone a short distance, when a cer- 
tain man named Semei met him, and throwing stones 
at him, began to curse him, saying : "Now will the 
Lord repay you because you stole the throne of 
Saul ; now will God take it away from you and give 
it to Absalom, for you are a man of blood." 

Some of David's followers would have killed 
Semei, but David would not allow it. "I deserve 
this and more," he said, "for I have sinned against 
the Lord, and, therefore, I am punished." 

So David and those who were faithful to him 
went on, and at last came in safety to a place of 
hiding far from the city. 

In the meantime Absalom and his army entered 
Jerusalem and took possession of the city and the 
palace. 

He was about to set out at once in pursuit of his 
father, but some of his advisers dissuaded him : "Do 
not go yet, O king. You know that your father is a 
brave and desperate man, and has many good 
soldiers with him. Wait till your army is larger; 
then you will be more than a match for him and his 
followers." Absalom did as he was advised, and 
after a while set out with a more powerful army to 
pursue the king. 

Some of David's friends who were still in the 
city, secretly sent him word. 

In the meantime many of the Hebrews who were 
loyal to the king, came to his camp, and soon his 
army was nearly as large as that of Absalom. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 157 

At last the two forces came together and the 
battle began; but first, on his side, David gave 
strict orders to his men to spare the life of Absalom. 

It was by the forest of Ephraim that the long, 
fierce struggle took place. Both sides fought 
bravely, but Absalom's men were defeated and 
twenty thousand of their number slain. His men 
were scattered all over the country, fleeing for their 
lives. Absalom, seated on a mule, Avas escaping 
through the forest. His long hair, that beautiful 
hair of which he had been so vain, became entangled 
in one of the lower boughs of an oak, and there he 
hung, the mule passing from under him. As he 
struggled to free himself, helpless and panting, one 
of David's generals came up to him and drove a 
lance through his heart. He cast the body in a 
great pit near by and covered it with stones; then 
coming, told the king that the victory was his and the 
enemy defeated and scattered. "But how about the 
boy ?" asked David ; "is he safe ?" When he learned 
that he was killed, he cried out in sorrow : "Absalom, 
my son, would to God that I might die for thee, my 
son." And for days he would not be comforted. 

At last he returned to Jerusalem, and on the way 
back he met the same man who had cursed and 
stoned him before. Again they wished the king to 
have him put to death, but David would not. 

And so the king returned in sad triumph to his 
city. 

Many battles were fought against the Philistines, 
who again invaded the country, but in every battle 
David gained the victory, and at last drove the 
enemy back to the land from which they came. 



158 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

Some time after, the king took it into his head to 
number all the people of his kingdom, to see how- 
many men there were. Nearly ten months were 
consumed in the work, and they found there were 
in all the land over a million and a half of men 
alone. 

But God was angry with David for doing this, 
because it showed he was proud and vain; and He 
sent a prophet to him with the mesage : "The Lord 
is angry with you, and will punish you for what you 
have done. Now you must take your choice of 
three things; either there shall be seven years of 
famine in the country, or for three months you shall 
be forced to flee from your enemies, or for three 
days there shall be a terrible plague in all the land. 
Which of the three will you have?" 

"It is better for me to fall into the hands of the 
Lord than into the hands of men. I choose the 
three days of the plague," was the answer. 

At once a terrible pestilence broke out, and raged 
for three days, when it was found that seventy 
thousand of the people had perished. 

The Angel of the plague came to Jerusalem to 
strike that city also, and he stood near the barn of 
a rich man named Oman. David saw the angel 
holding a drawn sword in his hand, turned to- 
wards the city, and he fell on his face. "O God," 
he cried out ; "it is I who have sinned, and not this 
people. I beseech you, let your hand be turned 
against me, and let not my people be destroyed." 

Then the Angel commanded that he build an altar 
on the spot and offer sacrifice to God. 

As soon as the king had done this, the Angel dis- 
appeared, and the plague ceased in all the land. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 159 

And now king David began to grow old, and his 
last days were approaching. Among his children, 
there was one whom he loved above the others, Solo- 
mon, whose mother was Bethsabee,and he determined 
to make him king in his stead. So he called the 
great men of his kingdom and told them his wishes. 
With great pomp and rejoicing Solomon was 
anointed and crowned king before all the people. 

David now felt that his strength was leaving him 
and the day of his death was at hand. He called 
Solomon and charged him : "My son, I am about to 
die. You know that in my life I wished to build a 
great temple to the Lord, but He would not permit 
me. Now I have gathered together gold and silver, 
and all that is necessary for the building of the 
temple ; you must see to it that it is done. Be faith- 
ful to God, and He will be with you always, and will 
make your reign glorious and great; but if you for- 
sake Him, He will forsake you, and your glory and 
greatness will depart." And so David died at the 
age of seventy years, after a long and prosperous 
reign. 

He was a great and good king. It is true he 
sinned terribly, but his repentance was sincere and 
deep, and God forgave the sin. He was a poet 
and a prophet; it was he who wrote most of the 
beautiful psalms the Church uses in her service today ; 
and many and wonderful are the things he foretold 
of the life and death of the Son of God, and of 
things that were to happen over a thousand years 
later. 

This, then, is the story of the life and death of the 
sweet singer of Israel, the man after God's own 
heart, the great king David. 



i6o HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 



SOLOMON. 

After David, Solomon sat upon the throne of 
Israel. He was great and powerful, and his reign 
was glorious even beyond that of his father. Indeed, 
as long as he remained faithful to God, it has been 
said that he was the greatest of kings and the wisest 
of men. 

His mother was Bethsabee, the wife of the soldier, 
Urias, whom David caused to be killed that he 
might take her in marriage. The first child that was 
born died in punishment of this sin. A second child 
was born and grew up to be a handsome, strong 
man, and this was Solomon. 

David loved him dearly, and often promised that 
Solomon would succeed him on the throne and be 
king of Israel. 

Now, it happened that towards the close of 
David's life, one of his sons, named Adonias, broke 
out in rebellion against his father, left the city, and 
gathered about him a small army who proclaimed 
him their king. Bethsabee heard of this and went 
boldly to David, her husband. She told him what 
was taking place and reminded him of his promise. 

At once David gave his orders, and a few days 
after, amidst the rejoicing of the people, and with 
great pomp and splendor, Solomon was anointed 
king of Israel in the place of his father. The peo- 
ple gladly accepted him as their king, and those who 
had followed Adonias, now left him and made their 
submission to Solomon. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 161 

Not long after, David died and was buried in the 
city of Jerusalem. 

Solomon was but twenty years old when he as- 
cended the throne. He was a handsome young man, 
tall and straight , beautiful and gracious in look and 
manner, and all the people loved him. 

He never forgot how Semei had treated his father, 
David, in the revolt of Absalom. If you remember, 
that was the man who cursed and stoned the 
king as he was leaving the city of Jerusalem to es- 
cape from his son. Solomon called him one day to 
the court and warned him: "I have promised to 
spare your life, for my father desired me to do so ; 
but you must stay here in Jerusalem all the rest of 
your days. As long as you remain here, you are 
safe; if ever you leave the city for any reason at all, 
you shall die." 

Some three years after, this man lost a number of 
his slaves, who escaped to the city of Geth. Semei 
heard they were there. He left the city in secret 
and went after them ; and in a few days returned to 
Jerusalem. 

But Solomon was told what he had done, and sent 
his guards to arrest him and bring him to the palace. 

"Did I not tell you that if ever you left the city 
you should die? You have pronounced your own 
sentence of death." Saying this, he gave orders that 
he should be killed; and thus was the wicked man 
justly punished for the evil he had done to King 
David in the day of his sorrow and trouble. 

And now, Solomon wished to take a wife from 
among the great princesses of the earth; so he sent 
a large retinue of his nobles and courtiers, bearing 
many rich and precious gifts, to Pharao, king of 



1 62 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

Egypt, asking his daughter in marriage. Pharao 
had heard of the fame of the young king, and gladly 
consented. After some days the embassy returned 
to Jerusalem, and with them the young princess, 
who was to become the wife of the king of Israel. 

The whole city was decorated and great prepa- 
rations made for the coming marriage. The day ar- 
rived. With much splendor and magnificence the 
wedding took place before all the court, and Solomon 
led his wife to the great throne, where, seated by 
his side, she received the homage of all the nobles 
and courtiers. And the same day he gave her, as a 
wedding present, a magnificent palace built of gold 
and silver and precious wood. 

After a time, Solomon went in great state to a 
certain city, where, in former days, the Ark of the 
Covenant was kept. He remained there several 
days in prayer, offering many sacrifices to God to 
thank Him for all His favors, and for bringing him 
safely to the throne of his father. 

One night during his stay in this city, the Lord 
appeared to him in a dream, saying : "Ask anything 
of Me that you wish and I will give it to you." 
Solomon joyfully made answer : "O Lord, You have 
shown great kindness to my father, David, and now 
You have made me king in his place, to rule over 
this great nation. 

"How can I judge them wisely; I who am so 
young? I beseech You to give me wisdom and 
knowledge that I may know how to govern my peo- 
ple justly and well." This answer pleased the Lord, 
and He said : "Because you have not asked for riches 
or glory or a long life, but have asked for what is 
better than all these things, the gift of wisdom, 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 163 

therefore, I now bestow on you great wisdom and 
knowledge, and I will give you also riches and power 
and glory, so that none of the kings of the whole 
earth, either before or after, shall be like to you; 
and you shall be the greatest and wisest of all the 
kings of the world." 

Saying this, the Lord disappeared, and Solomon 
returned in great thankfulness to Jerusalem. 

The fame of the king now spread far and wide, 
and he grew in power and in greatness and in glory. 

One day there came to him two women in great 
distress and stood before him; one brought a live 
infant, the other a dead one. The first woman 
spoke : "O king, this woman and I live in the same 
house, she with her child and I with mine. In the 
middle of the night her child died; and whilst I was 
asleep, she took my little one from my bed and 
placed her dead babe by my side. When morning 
came I saw the dead child, and looking more closely, 
I found that it was not mine." 

Then the other woman spoke : "That is not so, O 
king. I did not place the dead child in her bed ; it 
is her own child. Mine is alive." And so they 
strove before the king. After a few moments' 
thought, Solomon called one of the attendants: 
"Take the living child," he ordered; "cut it in half, 
and give one half to each of the women." No 
sooner had he said this, than the second woman 
cried out: "Do not kill the child, I beseech you. 
Rather give it to this woman ; it is better for her to 
have it than for the child to be killed." But the 
other said : "I am satisfied to have the child killed ; 
I do not care." 



1 64 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

To this one then the king replied : "The child is 
not yours, and you have lied to me. The babe that 
died in the night was your own. If you were the 
mother of this child before me, you would not be 
willing that I should kill it." 

So he gave the little one to its true mother, and 
all who were present were in admiration at the wis- 
dom of the king. 

Solomon had now been on the throne four 
years, when he determined to begin the great work 
that his father, David, had wished to do and was 
not permitted, the building of the temple to hold the 
Ark of the Covenant. 

Four hundred and eighty years had passed since 
the children of Israel left the land of Egypt, when 
the king began the work. 

You may know how great that was, when it took 
thirty thousand men to cut and fit the timber used 
for the Temple, seventy thousand to carry all the 
material needed for the building, and eighty thou- 
sand to hew out and shape the stones of the enor- 
mous edifice; and, besides, there were over three 
thousand superintendents, or overseers, to direct and 
watch the workmen. 

It took seven years to build the Temple. The 
place chosen for it was Mount Moriah, a part of the 
city of Jerusalem, or its outskirts; the very same 
place where David had seen the Angel with the 
drawn sword, when the pestilence was raging in all 
the country. Some believe that this was also the 
spot where, many hundred years before, Abraham 
was about to kill his only son, Isaac, in obedience to 
God's command, when his hand was stayed by an 
Angel from heaven. 



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HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 165 

The Temple was an enormous building. The 
inner part, called the Holy of Holies, where the 
Ark was kept, was covered all over, floor and ceiling 
and walls, with pure gold. In the center of the 
Holy of Holies were two great Angels made of gold, 
with outstretched wings; and between these two 
Angels the Ark was placed. 

The king, having finished all the work of the 
Temple, had the Ark brought there with great cere- 
mony. 

The people were assembled in the courtyard be- 
fore the Temple; and there were sacrificed the 
enormous number of twenty- two thousand oxen and 
one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. 

Then Solomon, standing before the great altar, in 
the sight of the people, with hands lifted up to 
heaven, prayed to the Lord that He would bless this 
Temple and all who would enter it, and would hear 
their prayers and grant their petitions. 

When he had finished, fire came down from the 
sky and consumed the bodies of the animals that 
were placed on the altar. 

So for fourteen days, with great joy, was cele- 
brated the dedication of the Temple; and when the 
celebration was over, the king dismissed the people 
to their homes. 

Again the Lord appeared to Solomon in his sleep, 
and said to him : "I am well pleased with all that you 
have done. I heard the prayer you spoke in the 
Temple, and I shall dwell in this house which you 
have built to Me. If you will be faithful to Me, and 
do all that I shall command all the days of your life, 
I will establish the throne of your kingdom forever, 
and there shall not fail a man of your race upon the 



1 66 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

throne of Israel. But if you and your children turn 
away from Me and refuse to keep My command- 
ments, but go and adore false gods, I will take away 
this people from the land that I have given them, 
and this Temple shall be destroyed." 

After this Solomon built a magnificent palace for 
himself, and a number of new cities throughout the 
country; he built, moreover, a great fleet of ships, 
which he sent to many distant countries. So that in 
the days of this king all Israel prospered and grew in 
wealth and power. 

Solomon wrote many books; among them were 
three thousand parables, and one thousand and five 
poems. Some of the books are in the Holy Bible; 
one of them is called the Book of Proverbs; 
another Ecclesiastes, or The Preacher, and another 
The Canticle of Canticles. 

One day whilst the king was resting in his palace, 
for there were no wars at that time, there came to the 
city of Jerusalem a grand retinue of nobles and 
guards and servants, and with them, in a chariot of 
gold, a beautiful woman bearing a crown on her 
head and dressed in magnificent robes. This was 
the Queen of Sheba, who had come from far off 
Arabia. She had heard of the great wisdom and 
riches of Solomon and desired to see for herself if 
what she heard was true. 

The king received her in great state, and enter- 
tained her royally, showing her all his riches of gold 
and silver and precious stones, the palaces he had 
built and his gardens, and last of all the grand 
Temple. 

When she had seen all : "Indeed," she exclaimed, 
"I did not believe when first I heard such great 






HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 167 

things of you, but now I know that even the half had 
not been told." 

Then, desiring to learn if his wisdom was as 
great as report had said, she asked him many and 
difficult questions, for she was a wise and learned 
woman. But to everything she asked, the king had 
a ready answer; nor was there anything of which 
he was ignorant. 

The Queen made him many presents of gold and 
silver and precious stones and sweet herbs and spices, 
and returned to her country full of admiration of 
the great and wise King Solomon. 

So for many years he reigned in peace and pros- 
perity, serving God faithfully and governing his 
people wisely and well. 

But now a change came over the king. He took 
in marriage many women who were pagans, and 
who worshiped the false gods of their own coun- 
tries ; and to please them, he built temples for their 
idols, and himself adored them, forgetting all that 
God had done for him. In a few years he had taken 
a thousand wives from all the nations and tribes 
around him, and he no longer served the true God, 
as he had done in the days of his youth. 

One night the Lord appeared to him with the terri- 
ble warning : "Because you have turned away from 
Me and have followed false gods and have not 
obeyed My commandments, I will tear your kingdom 
asunder, and will give it to your servant. Yet, for 
the sake of David, your father, I will not do this in 
your day; but after your death I will rend it out of 
the hand of your son, and will give to him of all 
Israel only the tribes of Juda and of Benjamin and 
this city of Jerusalem." 



1 68 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

Still the king would not repent, and went on from 
bad to worse the remaining days of his life. 

Then it was that God sent his prophet to a certain 
man named Jeroboam, who had formerly been a 
servant of Solomon. The prophet, coming to Jero- 
boam, took off his own cloak and, tearing it in twelve 
parts, gave to him ten pieces, saying : "Take these ten 
pieces, for the Lord has said that He will tear 
asunder the kingdom of Israel; ten parts He will 
give to you, and the rest will remain with the son of 
Solomon." 

"He will not, however, do this in the life time of 
the king; but after his death you shall rule over the 
ten tribes, for the Lord has so decreed." 

These words came to the ears of Solomon, and he 
sent for Jeroboam, intending to put him to death; 
but Jeroboam fled into Egypt and remained there in 
safety till the death of the king. 

The last years of Solomon were not peaceful and 
happy as were the first. 

Revolts and wars broke out; the people became 
discontented, because of heavy burdens and taxes he 
imposed upon them; and the tribes of the north 
were about to break out in open rebellion and sepa- 
rate from the kingdom, when Solomon died. 

For forty years had he reigned over Israel. 
Whilst he was faithful to God, his reign was glor- 
ious, peaceful and happy. When he turned away 
from the Lord, his glory and wisdom departed, and 
his last days were clouded with trouble and sorrow. 

He died and was buried in Jerusalem, and Ro- 
boam, his son, reigned in his stead. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 169 



THE TWO KINGS. 

On a certain day, not long after the death of 
king Solomon, a great concourse of people were seen 
wending their way to a city of the Jews, called 
Sichem. Larger and larger grew the crowd, till 
the city could barely contain the multitude. 

They were coming to witness a great event, the 
crowning of the new king, Roboam, the son of 
Solomon. 

But here and there among the crowd sullen faces 
were seen and wrathful mutterings were heard. 
Many of the people were discontented and angry, be- 
cause Solomon in the last years of his life had been 
hard upon them, and had made them pay heavy taxes 
in money and in labor. 

The morning of the coronation day had come ; the 
sun shone bright and clear, and the day seemed joy- 
ous and full of promise. The ceremony was soon 
over, and Roboam stood before the people, wearing 
the royal crown. Hardly had the king returned to 
his palace, when word was brought to him that some 
of the leaders of the people were outside the door 
and wished to speak to him. 

"Bring them in," he ordered; "I will hear what 
they have to say." Immediately there came before 
him some of the chief men of the Jews, at their head 
being one whose name was Jeroboam. 

"O king," they declared, "we have come in the 
name of all your people to ask that you lighten the 
heavy burden your father put upon us. You know 
how he ground us down with heavy taxes, and took 



170 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

from us our hard earned substance. If you will be 
merciful to us, and remove from us these heavy 
taxes, we will serve you faithfully and well." 

The king listened, and for a few moments spoke 
not a word. Then he said : "Come back to me in 
three days, and I will give you an answer." 

In the meantime the king called together a council 
of the old men who had been with Solomon, his 
father, and he asked them: "What answer shall I 
give the people?" 

The old men gave him this counsel : "O king, if 
you listen to them now and do what they ask, they 
will be your servants always and be faithful to you." 

The king dismissed them and sent for some of his 
own companions, young men who had been brought 
up with him in the court, and he asked them : "What 
answer shall I give to the people?" And the young 
men made reply : "This is our advice. Say to the 
people : 'My little finger is thicker than my father's 
back. He put a heavy yoke on you, but I will put a 
heavier one. He beat you with whips, but I will do 
worse ; I will beat you with scorpions/ " 

This advice pleased the king, for he was blind and 
foolish. 

The third day came, and with it returned the 
chief men of the Jews, with Jeroboam, to receive 
their answer. 

The king did not receive them into the palace, 
but went outside to speak to them, in the presence 
of the great crowd that had gathered together. 

"This is my answer to your petition. You say 
that my father's yoke was heavy upon you, but my 
yoke will be heavier. He beat you with whips, but 
I will beat you with scorpions." 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 171 

Instead of being terrified at these words, as the 
king expected, the great crowd cried out in anger: 
"We will not have you for our king. We will find 
another who will put no yoke upon us, nor beat us, 
as you would do." 

Then there arose a great tumult. Some of the 
people were for the king, but most were against him. 

In a few hours the place was deserted, the men all 
leaving the city and going back to their homes ; and 
there remained only a few who stayed by the king. 

In all parts of Israel the rebellion now broke out. 
Ten of the twelve tribes revolted from Roboam and 
chose as their king, Jeroboam, who was once a ser- 
vant of Solomon. 

Only the two tribes of Juda and Benjamin re- 
mained faithful to Roboam. And now, therefore, 
there were two kings in the land ; Jeroboam, the king 
of Israel, and Roboam, the king of Juda. 

Whilst all this was happening, Roboam left the 
city of Sichem and came to Jerusalem. There he 
gathered about him all who still served him, and 
after a while he had an army of one hundred and 
eighty thousand men. 

He determined now to march against Jeroboam, 
to kill him and bring back the people who had re- 
volted. 

Just as he was about to set out, there came to him 
a venerable old man, who said: "God has com- 
manded me to speak to you His word: 'You shall 
not go up and fight against your brethren, the chil- 
dren of Israel. Let every man return to his house. 
Have I not said before that this thing would be? 
It has come from Me, and so it shall remain; and 



172 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

there shall be two kings and two kingdoms in the 
land of Israel/ " 

Afraid to disobey the word of God, Roboam dis- 
banded his army and returned to his palace. 

In the meantime Jeroboam was not idle. 

You must know that it was the custom of the 
Jews, several times a year, to go to Jerusalem to 
offer sacrifices to the Lord. 

Jeroboam was afraid that if his people did this, 
they would all return to Roboam, whose chief city 
was Jerusalem. So he planned a very wicked thing. 

He had two great calves made of gold. One of 
them he placed in the city of Dan, away up within 
the northern boundary of his kingdom; the other 
in Bethel, in the southern part of Israel, not very far 
from Jerusalem. 

Then he announced to the people that they need 
no longer go to Jerusalem to adore God and offer 
Him sacrifices; for these two golden calves were 
their gods, and all sacrifices must be offered to them. 

He stationed guards around who would not allow 
the people to go to Jerusalem; and in this way he 
turned them away from God, and led them into 
idolatry. 

He chose priests to serve at the altars of the 
golden calves, and he appointed feast days when the 
people should go and adore them. He himself went 
first to Dan, to worship the golden calf there, and 
then down to Bethel. 

While the king was at Bethel a strange thing hap- 
pened to him. He was standing by the altar of the 
golden calf, offering incense, when a venerable old 
man came before him and cried out : "O king, there 
shall come, many years after you, another king who 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 173 

will kill your false priests, and upon this altar he will 
burn the bones of dead men; and the name of the 
king will be Josias." 

All this really did take place over three hundred 
years later. 

Then the prophet added — for the old man was no 
less than a prophet of God — "I shall give you a 
sign, that what I have said will come to pass. This 
altar will now, before your eyes, be broken asunder, 
and the ashes upon it be spilled out upon the 
ground." 

Hearing these words, the king became furious 
and stretched out his hand to seize the prophet. In 
a moment his hand withered and fell helpless and 
dead by his side. At the same instant, the altar 
broke in two, and the ashes were thrown myster- 
iously upon the ground about. 

Then in terror and dismay, the king begged the 
prophet to pray that God might restore his hand to 
him. The man of God besought the Lord and the 
king's hand was restored, and it became well and 
strong as before. 

Jeroboam invited the prophet home to dine with 
him that day. "No," he answered, "I will not go 
with you, nor eat nor drink with you, for the Lord 
has commanded me to return home, and not to eat 
nor to drink in this wicked place." Saying this, he 
left the king and went on his way. 

Jeroboam had a son whom he dearly loved. This 
son fell grievously sick and was about to die. The 
king knew not what to do. At last, in his distress, 
he said to his wife : "Disguise yourself, so that no- 
body will know you are the king's wife, and go to 
the city of Silo. There dwells in that city a great 



174 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

prophet, the same one who told me, when Solomon 
was still living, that I would one day be king of the 
ten tribes of Israel. Go to the prophet, and take 
some presents with you. He will tell you what will 
become of our child." When she came to the house 
and stood at the door, the prophet cried out : "Come 
in; I know who you are. You are the wife of the 
king, Jeroboam. Why did you disguise yourself 
and pretend to be someone else ?" 

"I have sad news to tell you. Go and say to Jero- 
boam : 'Because you have been wicked and ungrate- 
ful, and have turned the people away from God, 
therefore, the Lord will bring great evils upon you; 
and after your death he will take the throne away 
from your children, and give it to another.' ' 

Then he added to the woman: "Return now to 
your home; when you stand upon the threshold of 
your door, your child shall die." 

The mother returned to the palace in heavy sor- 
row. Truly, hardly had she entered, when terrible 
sounds came to her ears, sobbing and moaning and 
wailing. She hastened to the room where lay her 
son, and the boy was dead. 

Jeroboam lived some time after this; and there 
was war always between him and Roboam, the king 
of Juda. At last, after many misfortunes, Jero- 
boam was defeated in a great battle, which he fought 
against Abiam, the son of Roboam; and not long 
afterwards he died, having reigned over the ten 
tribes of Israel for twenty-two years. 

I must go back now to Roboam, and tell you what 
things befell him from the day that Jeroboam and 
the ten tribes revolted against him. 

By the command of God, he disbanded the army 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 175 

he had gathered together to fight against the king of 
Israel, and returned to Jerusalem, his capital city. 

For three years he served God faithfully and well. 
The priests and levites from every part of Israel left 
their homes and came to Jerusalem to live, that they 
might worship there the true God in peace. 

But after a while Roboam turned to evil, and be- 
came proud and wicked. 

God determined to punish him and sent against 
him a powerful enemy, Sesac, the king of Egypt. 

With an enormous army and twelve hundred 
chariots of war, the king of Egypt marched against 
the cities of Juda, captured them, and at last came 
before the walls of Jerusalem. 

Then the king repented of the evil he had done, 
and prayed to God for pardon and help. 

The Lord heard his prayer. All of a sudden, the 
king of Egypt put aside his fierceness and anger, and 
made terms of peace with Roboam. He took away 
from Jerusalem the treasures of gold and silver, 
made the king pay him a great tribute, or tax in 
money, and went back to his country, leaving the 
king and his people in peace. 

After that Roboam again forsook the Lord and 
did many evil things. At last, after reigning for 
seventeen years, and being now near sixty years old, 
he died and was buried in Jerusalem. 

From that day, and for many long years, the 
kings of Juda and of Israel fought against each 
other ; and there were wars and bloodshed in all the 
land of the Jews. Until at last, over two hundred 
years later, the kingdom of Israel was destroyed, 
and the ten tribes were taken captive by the Assyr- 
ians. They were carried away to a strange land, 



176 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

never to return o their homes again; and the king- 
dom of Juda alone was left of what had once been 
a great and powerful nation. 



ELIAS. 

There once reigned in the land of Israel a very 
wicked king, whose name was Achab. He neither 
feared God nor served Him. Instead, he adored a 
false god, or idol, that was called Baal; he chose 
priests to serve this idol, and turned his people away 
from the worship of the one true God. 

In the days of this wicked king, there lived in a 
certain town a very good and holy man, Elias. One 
day God spoke to him : 

"Because this people and their king will not adore 
Me nor serve Me, for three years no rain shall 
fall in all this country. There shall be a great fam- 
ine and many shall die of hunger. Leave this place, 
and hide yourself in a cave that I shall show you, 
near the river Jordan." 

Elias left his home at once, and went to dwell by 
the river Jordan. Sure enough, day after day no 
rain fell; the fields and the meadows were all dried 
up ; the grass and corn and the fruit trees died. 

Elias dwelt in the cave, and he drank the waters 
of a nearby spring; twice a day, every morning and 
evening, a raven brought him bread and meat. 

For many days he lived in this cave. At last the 
spring dried up and he had no water. Then the 
Lord gave him another command : "Go to the city 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 177 

called Sarepta, and there you will find a certain 
widow woman. I have commanded her to feed you 
and take care of you." 

Setting out on his journey, he came to the city of 
Sarepta. When he drew near the town, he beheld 
a woman gathering the dry twigs and branches that 
fell from the trees. He went up to her : "Good wo- 
man, I beseech you, give me some water to drink ; I 
am thirsty." 

"Yes," she answered, "I have a pitcher of water 
near here ; I will get it for you." 

As she was going, he called out: "And please 
bring me a morsel of bread to eat, for I am hungry." 

"Alas," she said, "I have no bread. I am a poor 
woman. All that I have in the house is a small pot 
of meal and a little pitcher of oil. I am getting these 
sticks now to make a fire and bake a cake for myself 
and my son. After we have eaten, we must lie 
down and die, for we have nothing more to eat." 

"Don't be afraid," replied Elias, "but do as I say. 
Make me a little cake first ; then one for yourself and 
your son; and I promise you that the pot of meal 
will never be empty, and the oil will never grow less 
in the pitcher, no matter how much you may use." 
She believed him; and making two cakes, she gave 
one to him, and she and her son ate the other. 

A wonderful thing happened. When she went 
back to the house, the pot of meal was just as full 
as before, and the oil filled the pitcher up to the brim. 
She begged Elias to come and live in her house. He 
did so, and from that day they had as much to eat as 
they needed. 

All this time no rain fell in the land, and nothing 
grew on the earth. 
12 



178 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

One day it happened that the son of this poor 
woman was taken sick. He gjrew rapidly worse, 
and in a few days he was dead. The poor mother 
was stricken with grief, and going to Elias, begged 
him with tears to pray to God for her son. 

Elias took the body of the young man into an 
upper room ; then he closed the door, and throwing 
himself on the body, prayed that God would bring 
back the life that had gone. Hardly had he finished 
his prayer, when the young man opened his eyes, 
moved his hands and feet, and at length stood up. 
Elias took him by the hand and restored him to his 
mother. 

Imagine her joy and wonder as she saw her son 
alive again and well ! It was a happy little family 
that gathered around the table that evening; and 
again and again did the good woman thank God and 
Elias, His servant, for so wonderful a favor. 

And so they lived for many days in peace and joy, 
till the three years were nearly at an end. 

One morning Elias rose early, and bidding the 
woman and her son good-bye, started on his journey 
to the city of the wicked king Achab. As he was 
yet on his way, he met a certain captain of the 
king's troops, and the captain recognized him. 

"Alas, my lord !" he cried, "do you not know that 
the king is searching for you everywhere to put you 
to death ? He thinks that it is you who has caused 
all this trouble." 

"Yes, I know it," he answered; "but now go to 
Achab and tell him that I am here, and that I wish to 
see him." 

"I am afraid to go," the captain replied; "for as 
soon as I go the Lord will take you somewhere else, 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 179 

and the king, not finding you, will put me to death 
for letting you escape." 

"Be not afraid ; when you return with the king I 
shall be here. I wish to see him." 

So the captain departed; and before long he re- 
turned with the king and a company of soldiers. 
Then Elias spoke to Achab : "Soon you will see a 
wonderful thing. Gather together all the priests of 
your false god, Baal, and come with me to Mount 
Carmel." 

The king did as he ordered. Within a few days 
a great concourse of people had assembled on the 
Mount. 

"Now," said Elias, "I will show you who is the 
true God, the God whom I serve, or Baal, whom you 
worship. Build two altars here, one for your god, 
and one for my God." 

This done, the priests of Baal killed a bullock and 
placed it on their altar. Elias did the same for his 
altar. "Now," he exclaimed, "call on your god, 
and I will call on mine, and the God that shall an- 
swer by sending down fire from heaven is the true 
God." 

The priests of Baal surrounded their altar on 
which the bullock lay, and cried to their god from 
morning till noon, but no fire came from heaven. 
Elias mocked them : "Cry out louder ; perhaps your 
god is asleep, or maybe he has gone on a journey, or 
is talking to someone and does not hear you." 

Louder and louder they cried, but no fire came 
from heaven. 

Then Elias, pouring water over the bullock, placed 
on his altar, saturated it and the stones of the altar 
till the water ran down the sides. Lifting his hands 



180 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

on high then, he prayed : "O God, show this people 
that You are the true God, that they may worship 
and serve You." 

Hardly had he finished his prayer when, quick as 
lightning, there flashed from heaven a streak of 
flame, setting fire to the bullock, and consuming it 
with the wood and the stones and the dust, and 
licking up the water that had flowed from the altar. 

When the people saw this they fell on their faces 
in fear and wonder, crying out : 'This is indeed the 
Lord, the God of Israel!" 

Elias then spoke to Achab : "The three years are 
now over, and the Lord will send rain upon the 
earth." 

And behold, a little cloud arose out of the sea. 
Larger and larger it grew, spreading over all the 
heavens, till at last the sky was overcast with black 
clouds, which became darker and darker. Then the 
storm broke; the rain fell in torrents, and the 
drought was at an end. 

The king and his servants returned home, and 
Elias rested a while untroubled, but not for long. 

Achab had a wife, named Jezabel, more wicked 
even than himself, who hated Elias, and she deter- 
mined to kill him as soon as she could lay hands on 
him. Elias heard of this and fled ; and traveling far, 
he came at last to a desert. Weary and sad, he lay 
down at the foot of a tree, and soon was sound 
asleep. After some hours, he awoke with a start ; he 
felt someone touch him on the shoulder, and he 
heard a voice saying : "Arise and eat." Turning, he 
saw by his side some bread and water. He ate and 
drank, for he was hungry, and went fast asleep 
again. It was an Angel sent from heaven. A sec- 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 181 

ond time he touched the prophet on the shoulder, 
saying : "Arise and eat, for you have a long way to 
go." 

Rising up, Elias ate again of the bread and drank 
some water. All at once, he became so strong and 
vigorous that he walked for forty days and forty 
nights in the desert, till he came at last to Mount 
Horeb, and there he dwelt for a while in a cave in 
the mountain. 

After some days, God appeared to him and told 
him to leave the place and go to Damascus in Syria. 
Elias obeyed, and on his way to Damascus, while 
passing a field, he saw a man plowing. He went up 
to him and threw his cloak over the man's shoulders. 
Immediately the man left his plow and ran after 
Elias, crying out : "I will go with you ; but first let me 
bid good-bye to my mother and father, then I will 
come." 

"Do so," said Elias, "for after I am gone you will 
be a great prophet in Israel." 

And so it turned out to be ; this man was no other 
than the prophet Eliseus, of whom, later on, I shall 
have many strange things to tell you. 

In the meantime, there dwelt in one of the cities of 
the Jews, a certain man whose name was Naboth, 
This man possessed a vineyard near the palace of the 
king. Achab sent for him one day : "Sell me your 
vineyard, for it is near my palace. I will give you a 
good price for it; or, if you prefer, I will give you 
another and a better vineyard." 

"No, I will not sell it," Naboth answered; "this 
vineyard belonged to my family for many years, and 
I do not wish to part with -it." 



1 82 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

The king was angry at this, and told Jezabel, his 
wife. "Are you worried about that?" she asked. 
"I will get the vineyard for you. Leave it to me." 

She sent word to the judges and chief men of the 
city to come to her, and she sent also for Naboth. 
When they were come she got two men to swear 
that they had heard Naboth curse against God and 
the king. This was false, for Naboth was a good 
and devout man. 

The judges believed the witnesses, and Naboth 
was condemned to die. He was taken out and 
stoned to death in the most cruel way. 

Then the wicked queen went to her husband and 
told him : "Now you can have the vineyard, since its 
owner is dead." Achab took it, and made of it a 
beautiful garden. 

But God had seen this wicked deed, and He told 
Elias to go down to the king with this message : 

"Because you have killed Naboth, a just man, and 
taken his vineyard, in this very place where he was 
slain, the dogs shall come and lick your blood." And 
to Jezabel : "And the dogs shall eat your body and 
lick up your blood in the same field that once be- 
longed to Naboth." 

This terrible threat was fulfilled in truth. Some 
three years later, in a battle with the King of Syria 
Achab, while standing in his chariot, was shot with 
an arrow and killed, and the dogs licked the blood 
that came from the chariot. 

Some years after that again, by order of a new 
king of Israel, Jezabel was cast headlong from a 
window of her palace, and her body was trodden 
under foot by horses; and when at evening they 
came to bury her, a few of the bones only were 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 183 

found, because the dogs had eaten the rest ; and this 
was in the garden that once was Naboth's vineyard. 

After the death of Achab, the new king who 
reigned in Israel was Ochozias. This king was 
taken very sick one day, and he sent messengers to 
consult the false gods whom he worshiped, as to 
whether he would recover or not. 

On the way, the messengers met Elias, who asked 
them : "Why do you consult the false god, and not 
the true God of Israel? Because your king has 
done this, he shall die." 

The messengers returned in haste and told the 
king what the prophet had said. 

The king was angry, and he sent a captain and 
fifty soldiers to capture Elias. They found him on 
the top of a hill not far off, and the captain called to 
him : "Man of God, the king has commanded you to 
come to him." 

"If I am a man of God." said Elias, "let fire come 
down from heaven and destroy you and your men." 

Hardly had he spoken, when a flash came from 
heaven, and in an instant the men fell dead on the 
ground. 

The king waited a while, then sent another cap- 
tain and fifty men, and they met their deaths in the 
same way. 

Again the king sent another captain and fifty 
men. When they found Elias, the captain cried 
out : "I beseech you, O man of God, do not destroy 
me and my men, as you did the others." 

"Fear not," was the answer; "I will come with 
you." And going to the king, who was lying on his 
bed of sickness, he said: "Why, O king, did you 
send to consult a false god, and not the true God? 



184 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

Because you have done this you shall never rise 
from this bed alive, but shall surely die." 

His words came true, and before long the king 
did die. 

And now the time drew near when Elias was to 
leave the world, for his work was done. 

One day, he and his companion, Eliseus, were 
traveling together, and Elias said to Eliseus : "Stay 
here, while I go further on." Eliseus would not 
leave him. Then Elias said again: "Stay here, 
while I go as far as Jericho." Still his companion 
refused to part from him. Again he said: "Stay 
here, at least till I go as far as the Jordan." "No." 
answered Eliseus, "I will go with you, and will not 
leave you." 

So they went on together ; and when they came to 
the river bank, Elias took off his cloak and struck the 
water with it. At once the water of the river 
divided in two, and they passed over on the dry 
ground to the other side. 

When they reached the other shore, Elias stopped 
and said to his companion : "We will go no further. 
The Lord is about to take me away. Ask of me 
anything you wish before I depart, for you will see 
me no more." 

"There is one thing I desire," answered Eliseus; 
"let me become a great prophet like you." 

"This is a hard thing you have asked ; yet it will 
be granted on one condition, and that is, if you see 
me when I am taken away; but if you do not see me, 
your prayer will not be granted." 

They went on their way conversing together; 
when, suddenly, there came down from heaven, right 
to the very feet of the two men, a chariot all of fire 




THE FIERY CHARIOT. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 185 

and drawn by horses of fire. A terrible whirlwind 
came up, and in the midst of it Elias was taken into 
the chariot by unseen hands, and it went straight up 
into the sky. 

But as it was going, Eliseus cried out : "My father, 
my father, the chariot is taking you away !" Hardly 
had he spoken when the cloak of Elias fell from the 
shoulders of the prophet ; Eliseus caught it upon his 
own shoulders, and the chariot disappeared. 

And so Elias was taken up alive into heaven, and 
walked upon the earth no more. But because all 
men must die some time, he will come on earth again. 
Many think he will come just before the end of the 
world, and will be put to death by some wicked 
prince or king. Then the earth will be destroyed 
and all men will come before the judgment seat of 
God, and eternity will begin. 

Such is the wonderful story of the great prophet, 
the greatest after Moses, who performed deeds so 
mighty and strange, that we could hardly believe 
them did not the Holy Books tell us these things 
were true. 



ELISEUS. 

I must tell you now the story of Eliseus from the 
day that Elias was parted from him and was carried 
into heaven in a chariot of fire. 

Slowly and sadly he traced his steps back to the 
river Jordan, thinking of his beloved master whom 
he would see no more. 

When he came to the .river, he took the cloak 



186 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

from his shoulders and with it struck the water as 
Elias had done that very same day; but the water 
remained still, and he cried out : "Where is the God 
of Elias? Why will He not do for me what He 
did for him?" " 

Again he struck the water with the cloak, and this 
time the river divided in two and left a dry passage 
by which the prophet passed to the other shore. 

There he met a company of men who had seen 
him with Elias before, and they asked him : "Where 
is your master?" "The Lord has taken him away," 
he replied. 

"Do you wish us to go and seek for him?" "No," 
the prophet said, "it is useless; you will not find 
him." 

In spite of this, for three days they sought far 
and near for Elias, but could not find him ; and re- 
turning to Eliseus, they told him of their failure. 

"But I told you not to go, for you would not find 
him," replied Eliseus. 

"Master," said the men, "the spring from which 
we get the water is not good, and the ground is bar- 
ren ; we beseech you to heal them." 

Eliseus took some salt and cast it into the spring ; 
and from that day the water was sweet and good to 
drink, and the ground became rich and fertile. 

The prophet then left there, and came near to the 
town of Bethel. This was a wicked place; in the 
town was one of the golden calves that Jeroboam 
had made for the people to worship. 

He had just come in sight of the city gate, when a 
crowd of boys, seeing the prophet, began to mock 
him and cry out: "Go up, old bald head, go up!" 




THE CHILDREN DEVOURED BY BEARS. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 187 

Whilst they were shouting and crowding around 
him, one of them gave a cry; looking around, they 
all saw two great bears coming out of the woods, 
straight towards them. It was too late to flee. In 
a few minutes the bears had killed many of the boys, 
forty-two in all, and the rest escaped to the city. 

The prophet would not stay in that wicked place, 
but went up into Samaria and dwelt there for a while 
in peace. 

One day Joram, the king of Israel, and Josaphat, 
the king of Juda, who were friends, gathered an 
army and came to fight against the king of Moab. 

Now, whilst the army of the Jewish kings was 
still in the desert, the supply of water gave out, and 
the men began to suffer from thirst. 

The king of Juda told his friend of Eliseus. 
They both went to see the prophet; and when they 
approached him, Eliseus said : "Tell your men to dig 
a number of ditches in the bed of the dried-up tor- 
rent near your camp. There will be no rain nor 
wind, and yet these ditches will be filled with water, 
and your men will have all they wish to drink." 

It was done as he said ; and early the next morn- 
ing the channel was full of water, but how it came 
there no one knew. 

The two kings defeated the king of Moab, and 
returned in joy to their homes. 

Not long after, a certain woman came to the 
prophet in great sorrow. 

"My husband is dead, and I am a poor woman. 
Because I am in debt and cannot pay what I owe, 
they will come tomorrow and take away my two 
sons to make them slaves -in payment of the debt." 



188 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

"Tell me," said the prophet, "what have you in 
the house now?" "Only a little oil; I have nothing 
else." 

"Go and borrow of your neighbors all the empty 
vessels you can get. Then close the door, and pour 
a little of the oil into each of the empty vessels." 
She did as she was told ; and, strange to say, when 
she looked again, each vessel was filled to the brim. 

She ran in haste to the prophet to tell him what 
had happened. "Now go," he said, "sell the oil. 
With the money you will have enough to pay your 
debt and save your sons; and still there will be 
enough to live on for some time to come." 

The prophet often had occasion to pass by a cer- 
tain city, where there dwelt a very good woman. 
This woman had prepared a room in her house for 
Eliseus to use whenever he stopped in the city. 

One day he said to her: "Tell me what I can do 
for you, in return for your kindness to me?" "Alas 
my Lord," she answered; "there is one thing for 
which I earnestly pray, but I fear God will not hear 
my prayer. I have no son ; my husband and I are 
getting on in years, and there will be no one to com- 
fort us in our old age." 

"Take courage," he replied; "one year from now 
God will give you a son." In truth, when the year 
came round, she had a son, who grew up to be good 
and beautiful. 

One day whilst the boy was out in the field, he 
complained of a headache. He was taken into the 
house and laid on his mother's lap, and there he 
died. 

The mother at once placed the dead body of her 
child in the same bed that was always used by the 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 189 

prophet when in her house, and without delay, she 
set out in search of Eliseus, and found him in Mount 
Carmel. 

He saw her coming, and said to his servant, 
Giezi : "There is the good woman who has been so 
kind to me." 

She came up to him and told him her sad story. 
At once he commanded his servant thus : "Take my 
staff, and go to the house of this woman. Speak to 
no one on the way ; and when you are come into the 
house, lay the staff upon the face of the child." 

The servant departed on his errand ; but the wo- 
man would not leave Eliseus. "No, my lord; I will 
not go, unless you go with me." 

So he accompanied her to the house; and there 
they found the child still cold and lifeless. 

Giezi had done as the prophet commanded, but the 
child neither moved nor spoke. Then, going into 
the room alone, Eliseus prayed and touched the 
child ; the flesh grew warm, the eyes opened and the 
child arose, alive and well. Opening the door, 
Eliseus called his servant and the woman, and re- 
stored the boy to his mother, who fell down at the 
prophet's feet, thanking him and crying in her 
joy. 

Another day a certain man brought the prophet a 
gift of twenty loaves of bread and some corn. Eliseus 
told his servant to distribute it to the people who were 
around. "Why, this is not enough," the servant 
answered; "there are a hundred people here, and 
how can you feed all these with twenty small loaves 
and a little corn?" "Do as I say," he replied; "for 
the Lord will make it enough." 

And so it was. Though the people were hungry 



ipo HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

and ate ravenously, the twenty little loaves and the 
corn grew and were multiplied; all the people had 
their fill, and yet there was some left over. 

Now it happened that about this time the king of 
Syria had a general called Naaman; this man was 
afflicted with the terrible disease of leprosy, and was 
covered all over with sores. 

Naaman had in his house a slave, a young Jewish 
girl, who had been captured and sold to the Syrian 
general. One day she said to her mistress : "I wish 
my master lived in my country ; for we have a great 
prophet there, who could cure him of his disease." 

This was told to Naaman, and he made up his 
mind to go see this prophet, who was no other than 
Eliseus. 

So he set out on his journey, taking with him 
many and costly presents. 

He went first to see the king of Israel, and then 
went to the house of Eliseus. 

The prophet would not so much as come out to 
him, but sent word to him to bathe seven times in the 
river Jordan, and he would be cured. 

Naaman was angry and went away grumbling : "I 
thought he would come out to me and would pray 
over me and touch the sores with his hands, and they 
would be healed. Why, we have in our own country 
better rivers than the Jordan. I can bathe in them 
as well as here." And he was about to return home, 
when his servant said to him : "If the prophet had 
asked you to do some great or hard thing, you would 
have done it; but now he has told you simply to 
bathe in the river. Try it; perhaps you will be 
healed." He changed his mind and went down to 
the banks of the river. Seven times he went in and 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 191 

bathed ; and the seventh time, when he came out, the 
sores had disappeared, and the leprosy was gone. 

Returning in haste to the prophet, who this time 
received him, he bowed down before him and 
thanked him for so great a favor, offering him many 
presents, but Eliseus refused them all, and dismissed 
him in peace. 

In the meantime Giezi, the servant of Eliseus, had 
seen and heard what took place. Naaman had not 
gone far on his journey when the servant caught up 
to him, saying: "My master sent me after you to 
ask for some silver and two suits of clothes." 

Naaman gave them at once; and Giezi, returning 
home, hid them in the house. 

But Eliseus called him: "I saw you when you 
went after the Syrian. I heard you ask for the sil- 
ver and the clothes, and saw you receive them. You 
thought you would be rich. Because you have lied 
and have done this, the leprosy of Naaman shall 
stick to you all the days of your life." 

Hardly had he spoken when the poor man was 
covered with sores, and left the house a leper. 

A strange thing occurred some time after this, 
also. 

Some of the prophet's companions were felling 
trees and cutting them up to build houses for them- 
selves near the banks of the river, and the prophet 
was with them. It happened, as one of them was 
cutting down a tree, the head of the axe flew off 
from the handle and sank beneath the waters of the 
Jordan. The man cried out in dismay, for the axe 
was not his, but was borrowed. 

Eliseus heard him cry out and asked what was 
the matter. They told him. "Show me where it 



192 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

fell," he said. Then he cut off a piece of wood and 
cast it into the water where the iron had sunk. At 
once the axe rose from the bottom of the river and 
floated on the surface of the water, then slowly 
moved towards the shore, whence the man stretched 
out his hand and recovered it. 

About this time the king of Syria sent an army to 
fight against the king of Israel, and his men lay in 
hiding. Eliseus warned the king of Israel to be on 
his guard, for his enemies were in ambush nearby to 
take him by surprise. 

This happened several times and the king of 
Syria grew very angry, thinking that some of his 
own men were betraying his plans to the Jews. 

He was told that Eliseus, the prophet, who could 
see hidden things, was the man. So he sent a com- 
pany of soldiers to seize him and put him to death. 

When the soldiers arrived at the city where 
Eliseus dwelt, the prophet prayed God to save 
him from the enemy. Immediately the whole com- 
pany of soldiers were stricken blind, and knew not 
where they were. They wandered further and fur- 
ther away, and when their sight was restored, they 
were many miles from the city of the prophet ; and 
so they returned home without finding him. 

You remember the good woman who was so kind 
to Eliseus, and whose son was restored to life. Well, 
one day the prophet went to her, and warned her : 
"For seven years there will be a great famine in this 
land. You must leave here and find a home else- 
where." 

So the woman left the city, and for seven years 
dwelt amongst the Philistines. When the seven 
years were over, she returned to find her house and 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 193 

land occupied by another. She went to the king, 
and when he learned that she was the woman who 
had been so good to the prophet, he restored to her 
the house and land, and made her comfortable the 
rest of her days. 

And now Eliseus himself was near the end of his 
life. He was taken very ill ; and whilst he lay on his 
bed of sickness, the king of Israel came to see him. 
The prophet told him many things that would hap- 
pen in the future ; among others, that the king would 
defeat his enemies, the Syrians, and drive them out 
of the country. 

Eliseus died and was buried not far from the city. 

Not long after the death of the prophet, a band 
of robbers came into that part of the country. At 
the same time a funeral party came along, bearing 
the dead body of a friend. 

When they saw the robbers coming, in great 
fright they cast the body into the tomb of Eliseus, 
and ran for their lives. 

As soon as the dead body touched the bones of the 
prophet, it came to life, and the man stood up on his 
feet. He hid in the tomb till the robbers had passed, 
then returned to his home, alive and well. 

And this is the story of the great prophet Eliseus, 
who, in his life, did so many wonderful things, and 
whose dead body, by the power of God, worked the 
greatest miracle of all. 



13 



194 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 



JONAS. 

There was once a rich and beautiful city called 
Nineve, in the country of Assyria. The people of 
that city, from the king to the humblest of his sub- 
jects, were given up to most wicked crimes. God 
was angry, and after bearing patiently with them 
for a long while, He determined to destroy the entire 
city and its inhabitants. But He wished to give 
them one more chance to repent of their wickedness 
and escape the terrible fate in store for them. 

Now there lived at this time, not far from the 
town of Nazareth, in the kingdom of Juda, a very 
good and holy man named Jonas. Some think he 
was the son of the widow of Sarepta, the same 
young man whom the prophet Elias had raised from 
the dead. 

One day the Lord spoke to him and told him that 
he must go to the city of Nineve and try to turn the 
people from their wicked ways, warning them that 
if they did not soon repent, they would all be de- 
stroyed. 

Jonas did not like the people of Nineve, for they 
were the enemies of the Jews. Moreover, he was 
afraid they would not believe him, and would put 
him to death. 

At all events, instead of setting out for the city, 
he went in the very opposite direction and boarded 
a ship setting sail for a certain town called Tharsis, 
in Spain. 

Hardly had they set sail, before a terrible storm 
came up. The waves rose mountain high ; the ship 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 195 

tossed from side to side ; and the captain and sailors 
began to be afraid that all would be lost. As the 
storm grew wilder and wilder, the sailors threw 
everything overboard to lighten the vessel; and all 
the while Jonas was asleep. 

Then it occurred to them that perhaps God had 
sent this storm to show His anger against someone 
on board the ship, who had disobeyed Him in some 
way. They determined to draw lots, to see who it 
might be, and the lot fell to Jonas. 

"Who are you?" they asked him. "Whence do 
you come, and what have you done?" 

"I will tell you the truth," Jonas answered: "I 
am a Jew, and but a short while ago God commanded 
me to go to Nineve; but I did not wish to go, so 
I came this way instead." 

"What shall we do?" they asked. "Throw me 
into the sea, and the wind will cease, for it is on my 
account this storm was sent," said Jonas. 

At first they would not do this. Then the storm 
grew worse and the danger greater ; at last, fearing 
for their own lives, they did throw Jonas into the 
sea. Immediately the storm ceased, the waves went 
down, and a great calm ensued; and the ship went 
on its way in safety, leaving Jonas struggling in the 
water. 

Just as he was about to sink, an enormous fish 
swam up to him, with its huge mouth wide open. 
It came nearer and nearer, then, quick as a flash, 
swallowed him alive. 

It was dark and close in the stomach of the mon- 
ster, and Jonas cried out to the Lord in his terror. 

For three days he remained there imprisoned and 
helpless, but the Lord kept him alive. All this while 



196 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

the fish was swimming fast across the water ; and on 
the third day it vomited Jonas out of its mouth upon 
the dry land on the shore, and at once disappeared 
under the waves to be seen no more. 

Jonas fell on his knees in grateful prayer, and 
thanked the Lord who had spared his life in so 
wonderful a way. 

Then God spoke to him again: "Do what I tell 
you. Go to Nineve; warn the people of their dan- 
ger; tell them that if they do not repent of their sins, 
they will be destroyed." 

That time Jonas set out on his journey to Nineve, 
and, after some days, came to the gates of the city. 

It was a magnificent place, full of palaces and 
temples and monuments, and so large that it took 
three days to walk around it. 

Jonas entered the gate, and all that day, through 
the streets of the city, he cried in a loud voice : "In 
forty days Nineve will be destroyed." 

Soon a crowd gathered around him, but to all their 
questions, he answered only one thing: "In forty 
days Nineve will be destroyed." 

Finally they brought him before the king, who 
asked him : "What does this mean ? Who sent you ? 
How do you know that our city will be destroyed?" 

Then Jonas told him all; how he had been pun- 
ished because he would not obey the command of 
God, and was afterwards saved by the fish, and he 
added: "The sins of this people have risen to the 
very heavens, and God is angry with this city. He 
sent me to tell you that unless everyone of you do 
penance and cease to do wickedly, He will destroy 
this city just as surely as He did Sodom and 
Gomorrha." 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 197 

The king believed him, and ordered all the people 
to do penance; and he himself gave the example. 
He came down from his throne, and, taking off his 
royal robes, clad himself in sackcloth and put ashes 
on his head. Then kneeling down in the dust of the 
street, he prayed for pardon and mercy for himself 
and for his people. All his subjects, from the great- 
est to the least, followed his example ; and for many 
days they did penance for their sins, promising to 
give up their wicked ways and to lead better lives. 

This pleased the Lord. His anger was appeased 
and Nineve was saved. 

But Jonas did not know this, because after he 
had given the warning to king and people, he had 
gone outside the walls to await what would happen. 

There he made a shelter for himself from the 
burning rays of the sun, then sat down in anxious 
suspense. As noon drew near, it became hotter and 
hotter. Suddenly there grew up all around him an 
ivy; the branches and leaves forming an arch over 
his head, kept the heat away. 

All that day and night Jonas expected the awful 
disaster, but no fire came down from heaven to de- 
stroy the city. 

Seeing this, he murmured against God : "Why did 
You send me to warn these people if You do not 
intend to punish them?" 

The next day the ivy that had sheltered Jonas 
withered and died; a hot, burning wind began to 
blow ; the sun beat fiercely down. He cried out to 
God to let him die, he felt so miserable. 

Then the Lord answered him : "You are sorry and 
angry that the ivy is destroyed, and yet, at the same 
time, you wish Me to destroy this great city, in which 



198 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

are so many innocent children, even after the people 
have done penance. Is that right?" 

Jonas saw that he was wrong. He begged God's 
pardon, and leaving the place, set out on his journey 
home, where he arrived safe and sound. 

The rest of his days were spent peacefully; and 
having lived a good life, he died at a ripe old age, 
with his friends and family around him. 



END OF THE TWO KINGDOMS. 

Some years after the death of king Solomon, the 
Jewish nation was divided into the two kingdoms of 
Israel and Juda. I must tell you first of the fate of 
the kingdom of Israel. 

It lasted for two hundred and fifty years ; and in 
all that time nineteen kings reigned over the people. 
Not one of these kings was good, but every one of 
them turned away from God, and adored the golden 
calves that Jeroboam had made. 

One of the most wicked of these kings was Achab. 
Now it happened that Achab and the king of Juda, 
who, at this time, were at peace with each other, 
went with a great army to fight together against the 
Syrians. 

Just before the battle, Achab changed his royal 
robes and put on the clothes of a common soldier, 
because the king of Syria had ordered his men to be 
on the watch for him, to kill him. 

Then the battle began, but the king of Israel could 
nowhere be found, on account of his disguise. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 199 

He could not escape from God, however; and so 
it happened that one of the Syrian soldiers, shooting 
at random with his bow and arrow, shot the king of 
Israel full in the breast, as he was standing in a 
chariot. With the blood flowing from him he was 
carried out of the battle, and died in a few hours. 
So perished that wicked king. 

Some time after, there reigned in Israel a king 
whose name was Phacee, and he also was a wicked 
man. Therefore, God determined to punish both 
the people and their wicked king, and sent against 
them a powerful enemy, the Assyrians. 

They poured into the country of Israel with an 
immense army, captured the cities and towns, and 
killed many thousands of the people. 

Not satisfied with this, they took away many of 
the inhabitants into Assyria. There the Israelites 
remained in captivity the rest of their lives, and none 
of them ever returned to the land of their birth, or 
saw their homes again. 

Soon after this, Phacee was killed by one of his 
own people. 

And now the kingdom of Israel was nearing its 
end. 

For many years the people and their kings had 
forgotten the true God, and now they were about 
to be destroyed, and to be a nation no longer. 

Some seven hundred years or more before the 
birth of Christ, there came into the land of Israel 
another king of Assyria, named Sargon, with a 
powerful army. He overran the whole country, 
burning the towns and cities, and destroying them 
utterly. He took prisoner the king of Israel, bound 
him in chains and carried him off to Assyria, and 



200 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

with him all the people of Israel, leaving the land 
desolate and bare. 

In their stead, he sent great numbers of strange 
people from different countries, to take the place of 
the Jews and to live in their land. 

Many stories have been told of the ten tribes of 
Israel in their captivity, as they were scattered 
throughout the land of Assyria. 

There they lived in sorrow and in tears ; and there 
they died far from their homes and their native 
land, exiles in a foreign country. 

In the course of time their descendants multiplied 
and increased, and many wandered far in search of 
new homes and better conditions, but what became 
of them, or whither they went, no one can tell. 
Only this we know, that not one of those taken away 
ever saw the green hills and rich plains of Israel 
again. 

Thus did God punish them for their evil ways, 
and such was the sad end of the kingdom of Israel. 

The next history to tell you is what happened to 
the two tribes of the kingdom of Juda. 

Most of the kings of Juda were bad, but not all. 
There was one king, Ezechias, who was faithful to 
God, and served Him well, therefore, the Lord pro- 
tected him and helped him. 

It seems that on one occasion a certain king of 
Assyria came with his army into the land of Juda 
and stood before the city of Jerusalem, intending to 
capture it, and put all the inhabitants to death. 

Soon the supplies in the city gave out. The peo- 
ple and the king prayed to the Lord that He would 
deliver them from the enemy, for they were in great 
danger, indeed. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 201 

In the middle of the night, while all was quiet and 
the men were sleeping, an Angel of God came from 
heaven, unseen and unheard, and with an invisible 
sword, struck the Assyrians, and one hundred and 
eighty-five thousand were slain. 

When their king awoke the next morning, and 
saw the countless bodies of the dead, he fled in terror 
from the scene; and leaving the country of the Jews, 
he returned to his home, and Jerusalem was saved. 

In the course of time, the good king Ezechias was 
taken very sick, and it was thought that he would 
certainly die. The prophet Isaias came to him and 
warned him to prepare for death, but then the king 
besought the Lord to spare his life a while longer. 

"The Lord has heard your prayer," was the an- 
swer ; "in three days you will be well, for the Lord 
has added fifteen years to your life." 

"How shall I know that this is true?" the king 
asked. 

"What proof would you have?" replied the 
prophet. "Do you see this sun dial? The shadow 
will move ten degrees forward or backward ; which 
shall it be ?" "Let me see the shadow on the dial go 
back," said the king, "and I will believe." 

No sooner had he spoken than the shadow on the 
dial moved in the opposite way, as though the sun 
had turned in its course; and when they looked it 
had gone back ten degrees. 

The king recovered truly, and he did not die till 
the fifteen years were over. 

There came to his court one day, ambassadors 
from the king of Babylon, and Ezechias foolishly 
showed them all the riches and treasures of gold 
and silver that he possessed. Hardly had they 



202 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

gone, when the prophet came to the king with the 
message : 

"The Lord is angry with you. Because you have 
shown these men your treasures, the day will come 
when all your riches will be carried away into Baby- 
lon, and your children will also be taken away and 
made captives in the palace of the king of that coun- 
try. But because you have been faithful to Me, 
this will not happen in your day, and your eyes shall 
not see it." And so it happened, for sometime after 
Manasses, the son of Ezechias, and a very wicked 
man, was captured by the king of Babylon, and kept 
a prisoner many years in his palace far away. 

Then came the last days of the kingdom of Juda. 

The people began again to forsake the Lord and 
to forget all that He had done for them. Again and 
again they sinned and repented and sinned anew, 
and now God was about to punish them as he had 
punished the people of Israel. 

The last king of the Jews was Sedecias, who lived 
nearly six hundred years before the coming of 
Christ. 

A great and powerful king came from Babylon 
with an enormous army, and his soldiers surrounded 
the city of Jerusalem, and shut it in so that none 
could go outside, nor could food be brought into the 
place. Therefore, a terrible famine broke out; the 
people were dying of hunger by the thousands, and 
there was no longer any hope of relief. 

Sedecias attempted to escape from the city, but 
was caught and brought before the king of Babylon. 
His sons were killed right before him, his own eyes 
were put out, and he was loaded down with chains. 

The king of Babylon and his army then entered 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 203 

the city. They destroyed the houses and set fire to 
the magnificent Temple that Solomon had built, and 
soon it was a mass of ruins. 

The conqueror left some of the poor people to 
take care of the land, but the rest, from both Jeru- 
salem and all the country of Juda, he took with him 
in captivity to Babylon. 

It was a sad procession that set out from each 
town and village of Juda, as the wretched Jews, 
guarded by the soldiers, wended their way on the 
march to the land of exile. 

As they left their homes, they knelt down in the 
streets and kissed the ground they were never to 
tread again. Stern men wept; mothers, with chil- 
dren trudging by their side, sobbed and moaned ; the 
little ones filled the air with their cries. All, old 
and young, lifting up their eyes dimmed with tears, 
took a last look at their beloved homes, and bade 
farewell to the country they felt sure they were 
leaving forever. 

On and on they journeyed, and many fell and died 
by the wayside, but at last they came to the land of 
Assyria, the place of their banishment. 

There those unhappy people were scattered in dif- 
ferent parts of the country; and there they spent, in 
sorrow and suffering, the weary life of hopeless 
exiles. 

No joy or gladness lighted up the gloom of their 
sorrow. Neither song of joy nor shout of play was 
heard among them, for their hearts were heavy with 
grief. 

They have told us in one of the beautiful Psalms 
something of their sad life in the land of their 
captivity. 



204 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

"Upon the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and 
wept, when we remembered Sion. On the willows 
in the midst thereof, we hung up our instruments. 
For there, they that led us into captivity, required of 
us the words of songs. And they that carried us 
away, said : 'Sing ye to us a hymn of the songs of 
Sion/ " 

"How shall we sing the song of the Lord in a 
strange land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my 
right hand be forgotten. Let my tongue cleave to 
my jaws, if I do not remember thee." 

The few Jews who had been allowed to stay in 
Jerusalem, after a while left the city and went into 
Egypt, where they remained the rest of their lives, 
and the ruined city was deserted and dead. 

For seventy years the Jews remained in exile ; and 
when that time had passed, a new king reigned in 
Babylon. He was kind to the Jews and allowed 
those who were then living of that nation to return 
to their country. 

They came back, rebuilt Jerusalem and the Tem- 
ple, and for many years dwelt once more in their 
own land. But they never again had a king of their 
own, for they were always under the power of 
others ; and so the kingdom of Juda came to an end. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 205 



JEREMIAS. 

Ill the days of the good king, Josias, some six 
hundred years or more before the coming of the 
Saviour on earth, and while Juda was still a king- 
dom, there lived in a little town not far from Jeru- 
salem, a young man whose name was Jeremias. He 
grew up in the love of God and of His holy law, 
serving Him faithfully and well. He had a tender 
heart, and could not bear to see suffering or sorrow 
in others. 

On day, when he was about twenty years old, the 
Lord spoke to him : "I am going to send you before 
the princes and kings of the people, to tell them the 
things that shall come to pass; for terrible things, 
indeed, shall happen to this country and to Jeru- 
salem, and soon the kingdom of Juda shall come to 
an end." 

"I am afraid to go," answered the young man; 
"the people will not believe me, and will try to kill 
me." But God promised to be with him and to 
protect him. 

Jeremias, trusting in God, therefore, left his home 
and began to tell the people all that God had spoken 
to him. He warned them that their enemies from 
Babylon would come against them and would cap- 
ture their cities and kill the inhabitants, because they 
had forsaken the Lord. 

Just as he feared, the Jews became very angry and 
would not listen to him. The people of his own 
town tried to kill him; even his own relatives and 
friends turned against him, and would not believe 



206 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

him. Still he continued to warn them that if they 
did not repent, God would punish them in a terrible 
way. 

In the meantime the good king Josias was killed 
in battle by the king of Egypt, against whom he was 
fighting. 

Jeremias mourned over his death, for he loved 
him, and he knew that he had lost his best friend. 

Not long after, he was speaking to the Jews, tell- 
ing them that God was angry with them, and the day 
of their punishment was near. Soon a great crowd 
gathered about him, a mob of angry, shouting, 
wicked men. Some of them cried out : 

"Kill him; he is always speaking evil of us; he 
ought to die." 

They made a rush towards him in their blind fury, 
and were about to tear him to pieces, when some of 
the princes of the people came upon the scene and 
rescued him from their hands. By God's command, 
he wrote in a book all the terrible things that would 
soon happen to Jerusalem and the whole country of 
Juda, and sent the book to the king. 

Instead of being terrified at the dreadful things 
that were written there, the king became furious 
against the prophet. He burned the book and gave 
orders to have Jeremias arrested and cast into prison. 

Fortunately the prophet heard of this in time, and 
fled away in the darkness of the night. 

He remained in hiding for a while, and there he 
wrote the same things again, and added that before 
long the king himself would die. Then he sent word 
to the people that now these fearful disasters were 
about to come upon them. 

In truth, twice the king of Babylon came to Jeru- 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 207 

salem and captured the city; and each time he took 
many of the inhabitants away to his own country. 

A new king now reigned in Jerusalem. For a 
while he was kind to Jeremias and listened to his 
words. 

One day the prophet had occasion to leave the 
city, to go to a town not far off. Hardly had he 
passed the gates of the city, when the people, seeing 
him, cried out : 

"He is going to the enemy and will betray us into 
their hands." 

"It is not so," Jeremias answered ; "I am not going 
to the enemy." 

They would not listen to him, but cast him into a 
dungeon full of mud and slime and dark as midnight, 
and there they left him to die. 

The king was sorry for him, however, and after a 
while ordered his men to take him out of the dun- 
geon and put him in a place that was not quite so 
bad; and there the prophet remained till Jerusalem 
was captured by the enemy. 

Now the words of Jeremias were bound to come 
true, since they were also the words of God. 

The king of Babylon came again before Jeru- 
salem with an army, captured the city, burned the 
Temple, and carried away the people prisoners to 
his own country. He killed the sons of the Jewish 
king in their father's sight ; then he put out the king's 
eyes, and binding him in chains, took him away with 
his people. 

He was good to Jeremias, however, for he brought 
him out of prison and gave him the choice either to 
go with his people into Babylon, or to remain in Jeru- 
salem. Jeremias preferred to remain ; and when the 



208 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

king and his army had gone, the prophet roamed 
through the streets of the ruined city, weeping and 
lamenting over the sad sights that greeted his eyes 
on all sides. 

The grand Temple, built by Solomon in the days 
of his glory, was a mass of burned and blackened 
ruins ; the houses were empty, the streets were silent. 
No longer were heard the songs of gladness and the 
shouts of joy; all was ruin, desolation, sadness and 
death. 

Overwhelmed with sorrow, he sat with head 
bowed down among the ruins of his beloved city, 
and in the sadness of his heart, he cried out : 

"How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of 
people! Weeping, she hath wept in the night, and 
her tears are on her cheeks; there is none to com- 
fort her among all them that were dear to her. O 
all you that pass by the way, attend and see if there 
be any sorrow like to my sorrow." 

The king of Babylon had left a few of the poorer 
people in Jerusalem and the country around, and 
had placed over them a governor to rule them. 

Some time after the king had departed, this gov- 
ernor was murdered; whereupon the Jews, fearing 
the king would return and kill them all, made up 
their minds to leave the country and go down into 
Egypt. 

In vain Jeremias begged them not to go, warning 
them they would never return alive. They would 
not listen, and began to prepare for the journey. 

Now, a strange event took place before they set 
out on their march. 

In the Holy of Holies of the great Temple rested 
the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark contained the 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 209 

two tables of the Commandments, written by the 
hand of God on Mount Sinai ; also a vessel filled with 
manna, the bread that came down from heaven and 
fed the Jews during the forty years of their wan- 
dering in the desert. Now, it seems that before the 
Temple was destroyed, the Jewish priests had taken 
the Ark away and hidden it somewhere in the city. 
Jeremias, accompanied by some of the people, took 
the Ark from its hiding place and set out w 7 ith it to 
Mount Nebo, on the other side of the Jordan. This 
was the same mountain from the top of which 
Moses saw the Promised Land, which he was not 
allowed to enter. When they came to the mountain, 
they found there a large cave. Jeremias placed the 
Ark in the cave, then closed the entrance. 

All of a sudden the cave disappeared; and when 
they tried to mark the place that they might recog- 
nize it if they ever came back, it was nowhere to be 
found, search as much as they would. 

From that day to this, the Ark has never been 
seen, and the cave never discovered; for God hid it 
from the eyes of men in that most wonderful man- 
ner. 

But some day, perhaps, He will let it be found ; for 
the prophet spoke to those who were with him : 

"This place shall remain hidden till God gathers 
His people together again ; and then will the Ark be 
restored." 

Then they set out on their journey to Egypt, tak- 
ing Jeremias with them. 

There he lived for many days, mourning over his 
fallen country and the sad lot of his sinful people. 
Again and again he warned them that God would 
punish them yet more, if they did not repent; for 

14 



210 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

now they had turned to the false gods of Egypt, and 
had forgotten the Lord, the true God. 

One, day in their blind anger, tired of his warn- 
ings, which they would not heed, they stoned him to 
death ; and so he died, murdered by the hands of his 
own ungrateful people. 



TOBIAS. 

There once lived in the city of Nineve a good 
and holy man named Tobias, with his wife and only 
child, a boy. 

He was one of the Jews who were carried away 
captive into Assyria, with the ten tribes of Israel. 

Though Tobias was poor, he gave, what little he 
had to those poorer than himself. He fed the hun- 
gry, clothed the naked and buried the bodies of those 
who were slain. 

The king heard of this and gave orders that Tobias 
was to be arrested and put to death. But learning 
of it in time, he fled with his wife and child, and re- 
mained in hiding until the death of the wicked king, 
soon after, when he returned to his home without 
fear of any more trouble. 

One day while he was giving a dinner to a few of 
his friends, his son came in and whispered in his 
ear. At once he got up from the table and left the 
house. He went into one of the streets not far off, 
and there he found the dead body of a Jew, who had 
been killed by the people of the town. He carried 
the body home and buried it secretly in the quiet and 
darkness of the night. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 211 

All his friends blamed him when they heard of 
this. 

"Don't you remember, " they said, "that once you 
came near being killed yourself on account of this?" 

"I fear God more than man," he answered; "and I 
know that God will protect me." 

Now, not long after, it happened that Tobias had 
spent the whole day burying the bodies of Jews who 
had been killed, and when evening came he was tired 
and lay down to rest by the wall of his house. 

Whilst he was asleep, some dirt fell from a swal- 
low's nest directly over his head. The dirt fell into 
his eyes and made them sore, and in a few days he 
was totally blind. 

From that day he became poorer and poorer; at 
last his wife was obliged to go out and work to obtain 
food for them all. 

With all their troubles, though, Tobias spoke no 
word of complaint, but his wife was not as patient 
as he. One evening she returned from her work, 
bringing a young goat she had received in payment 
for her labor. 

Tobias heard the bleating of the animal and was 
afraid she might have come by it dishonestly. 

"How did you get this goat?" he asked. "I hope 
ycu have not taken it unjustly. It matters not how 
poor we are, we must not take what does not be- 
long to us." 

Then the wife's patience gave way altogether, and 
she cried out in anger : "No, I have not taken it un- 
justly, but I worked for it. And it would have been 
better for us if you had worked as hard, instead of 
giving away all that you had and doing for others. 



212 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

What good has all this done you? It has made us 
poor as we are today, and God has forgotten us." 

Tobias answered nothing, but only sighed, and in 
his heart prayed to God : "O God, You see our sor- 
row and trouble; yet all that You have done is just 
and good. If it be Your will, let me die; for it is 
better for me to be with You, than to be suffering 
as I am on earth." 

And as he prayed, an Angel of the Lord carried 
his prayer up to heaven, to the throne of God. 

Now I must leave Tobias for a while and take you 
to a city called Rages, in the far-off country of the 
Medes. 

There lived in this city a pious Jew named Raguel, 
who had a daughter Sara. 

She was a good and loving daughter, spending her 
days in prayer and good works. 

But God sent a terrible trial to her. She was 
married to a young man of the same city, and on 
the very night of the wedding, a devil came and 
killed her husband. When the young girl woke up 
in the morning, she found him dead by her side. 
Again she was married, and again the devil came 
in the night ; and her husband was found dead in the 
morning. Seven times was she married, and each 
time her husband was killed the same night. 

At last no one would dare marry her, thinking the 
same thing might happen again. Her own servants 
mocked her, "May you never have another husband, 
for you have killed seven already," they said. 

But all this happened through no fault of hers, and 
with tears she prayed that God would free her from 
this dreadful curse. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 213 

And as she prayed, the Angel of the Lord 
carried her prayer also to the throne of God, and it 
was heard. 

Now we must go back to Tobias. Thinking that 
he was soon to die, he called his son to him one day : 
"My son, God will soon take me out of this world 
to a better one. When I am gone you must be lov- 
ing and kind to your mother, and take good care of 
her all the days of her life." "If you are faithful to 
God and your mother, you will be safe and will 
prosper." 

"I must tell you that in my better days, I once 
loaned a great sum of money to a relative of mine, 
named Gabelus, in a city of the Medes. I wish you 
to go to him and try to get the money; it will be 
enough to support your mother and you for a long 
time." 

"Certainly I will go, father; but the city is far 
from here, and I know not the way." 

"God will show you the way, and will provide a 
guide for you." 

So the young Tobias went out to look for a guide. 
Hardly had he left the house, when he saw a hand- 
some young man, tall and straight, with a staff in 
his hand, equipped for a journey. 

"Who are you?" asked Tobias, saluting him 
courteously. 

"I am one of the children of Israel." 

"Do you know the way that leads to the country 
of the Medes?" "I do; and more than that, I know 
that there lives in a city there a relative of yours, for 
I have been in his house; his name is Gabelus." 

In great joy, the young Tobias went in to his 
father, and told him that he. had found a man who 



2i 4 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

knew Gabelus, and where he lived, and the road they 
must take. 

Tobias called him in. When he entered, the young- 
guide saluted the holy man with these words : "Joy 
be to you always." 

"Alas/' he answered, "what joy shall be to me, 
who sit in darkness and see not the light of heaven?" 
"Be of good courage," said the young man, "your 
cure from God is near at hand. I will guide your 
son to his journey's end, and bring him back to you 
in safety." 

Then the old man blessed the two, and prayed that 
God might send his good Angel to conduct them on 
their way. 

The young Tobias kissed his mother and father 
good-bye, and with his companion, set out on his 
long journey to the land of the Medes. 

They traveled all that day ; and when it was even- 
ing, they stopped by the banks of the river, to rest 
and take their supper. Whilst Tobias was washing 
his feet in the water, a great fish swam up to him 
and tried to devour him. He cried out in terror. 
"Do not be afraid," said his companion, "catch hold 
of it by the gills, and drag it out of the water." 
Tobias caught the fish, and pulling with all his 
strength, drew it on the dry land, where for a while 
it gasped and panted, then died. "Now," the guide 
said, "we will have enough food to last us the rest 
of our journey. Take out the heart, the gall and 
the liver of the fish, and keep them ; you will find a 
use for them later on." 

"Of what use are they?" asked Tobias. 

"If a piece of the heart or liver be put on burning 
coals," was the reply, "it will drive away all kinds of 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 215 

devils from either man or woman, so that they can- 
not return. The gall is good for sore eyes, and to 
restore sight to the blind." 

The next morning they resumed their journey, 
and after some days, came safely to the country of 
the Medes, and to the city where Raguel dwelt: 
"Where shall we lodge?" asked Tobias, as they 
entered the city. "There lives in this city," an- 
swered his companion, "a relative of yours named 
Raguel, who has an only child, a daughter, Sara by 
name. Ask for her in marriage, and you will in- 
herit all her father's riches." 

"O I have heard of her," cried out Tobias. "She 
is the young woman who married seven husbands, 
and each one was killed by a devil the very night of 
the wedding. I do not want to be killed as they 
were." 

"I will tell you why they were killed. They were 
bad men, and never thought of God nor cared for 
Him. When they were married, they said not one 
prayer to Him; and, therefore, the devil had power 
over them and killed them." 

"But when you marry the young woman, for three 
days you and she must spend the time in prayer; 
then the devil cannot hurt you. And on the first 
night of your wedding, take some of the heart and 
liver of the fish and burn them in the room ; the devil 
will be driven away, and will never come back." 

So they went to Raguel's house; and when he 
heard who Tobias was, he received him and his com- 
panion with great rejoicing, and prepared a fine 
supper that evening. Whilst they were at the table, 
Tobias took courage and said: "I will not eat or 
drink until you first promise me your daughter in 



2i6 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

marriage." At this the father grew sad, for already 
he loved the young man, and did not like to see him 
killed. 

"Be not afraid to give him your daughter," said 
the companion of Tobias, "for God has intended 
that he should have her." So the father consented, 
and that very evening they were married. 

At night, Tobias did as his friend had said. He 
took a part of the heart and liver of the fish and 
threw them into the fire. A wonderful thing came 
about. Unseen by the young couple, God sent a 
powerful Angel from heaven down into that room. 
There, hiding near the bed, was a terrible devil 
waiting to kill the young man. The Angel caught 
the devil, took him through the air far away into the 
country of Egypt, and left him bound and helpless 
in the desert. 

All that night Tobias and his wife knelt in prayer, 
begging that God would save them from danger. 

In the meantime, Raguel, instead of sleeping that 
night, left the house secretly, and going into the 
garden, he dug a grave for the body of Tobias. 

Early in the morning he sent some one into the 
room, thinking to find him dead, when, to his sur- 
prise and joy, he was told that Tobias was sleeping 
peacefully, safe and sound. 

Going out then, he filled up the grave he had dug. 

For three nights young Tobias and his wife spent 
the time in prayer, and by that time all danger was 
passed. 

Raguel made another great feast, and gave to his 
son-in-law the half of all his riches. 

In the meantime, the companion left the city for a 
short while, and went further on to the city where 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 217 

Gabelus lived, who owed the sum of money to 
Tobias' father. Gabelus willingly paid the money, 
and also came back with the guide to see Tobias and 
take part in the joy and feasting. 

After two weeks, Tobias and his wife and his 
companion set out on their journey home. 

Whilst all this was going on, far off in their 
lonely home Tobias and his wife were grieving over 
the long absence of their child. 

"Woe is me, my son!" cried out the poor mother; 

"why did we send you to a strange country; you who 

were the light of our eyes and the staff of our old 

age, the only comfort of our life? We ought not to 

have let you go." 

Tobias' only answer was : "God is good, and will 
bring back our son to us in safety." 

But she would not be comforted; and every day 
she went out beyond the city, to the road by which 
her son had gone, watching and hoping that perhaps 
she might see him coming in the distance. 

Day after day she looked in vain, and each time 
returned home more sad and downcast. 

At length one day, as she sat wearily waiting on 
the summit of a hill, from which she could see a long 
stretch of the road, she spied two men in the dis- 
tance. They came nearer and she recognized her 
son and his companion. 

She hurried home to tell her husband; and before 
she could run back to meet them, they were at the 
door. 

The poor blind father rose to his feet, and ran 
stumbling to meet his son. He kissed him again 
and again, and they all wept for joy, then knelt 
down to thank God, W T ho had answered their prayer. 



218 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

"You have not seen all of God's kindness yet," said 
the young Tobias; "Wait." 

Then he took some of the gall of the fish, and 
rubbed it on his father's eyes. In a few minutes a 
white scale came off the old man's eyes, and immed- 
iately his sight was restored. 

A few days after came Sara and a long train of 
servants and camels and cattle, bringing the wealth 
that Tobias had gotten in the country of the Medes. 
He had left them behind and had hurried with his 
companion, that he might reach his father's home 
the sooner. 

When the good old couple saw all these things 
coming, they were filled with astonishment, and 
could not thank God enough. In his gratitude, the 
father cried out : "What shall we do to reward the 
good friend and companion who was your guide, 
who has done so much for you and for me ? What 
can we give him ?" 

"Father," answered the young Tobias, "let us give 
him half of all that we have; for without him we 
would have nothing. Besides, he saved my life and 
cured your blindness." 

So they called the young man, and thanking him 
again and again, begged him to take half of all their 
riches. 

For a few moments he answered not a word. 
And as they looked at him, he seemed to grow more 
and more beautiful, and a strange brightness shone 
all around him. Then he spoke : 

"While I was with you, you knew not who I was. 
I am the Angel Raphael, one of the seven great 
Spirits who stand before the throne of God. I 
seemed to eat and drink as you do, but I did not, 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 219 

for I have a different food and drink that you can- 
not see. 

"Before I came to you, when you prayed with 
tears, and buried the dead, and even left your dinner 
and hid the dead in your house and buried them by 
night, it was I who offered your prayers and good 
works to God. This is why He sent me to you, to 
save your son and restore your sight, and to make 
you comfortable and happy the rest of your days. 

"My work is done, and now it is time I returned 
to Him who sent me, and to my home in heaven." 

Saying this, he disappeared from their sight and 
was seen no more. 

Falling on the ground, Tobias and his wife and 
son again and again gave thanks to God for His 
great mercy and kindness. And for many years 
after they lived in prosperity and happiness. 

Tobias the elder lived to the good old age of 
one hundred and two years ; and dying in peace, he 
was followed soon after by his wife. After his par- 
ents' death, the younger Tobias left Nineve, and 
went with all his family — for he had many children 
now — to dwell with Raguel, his father-in-law, in the 
country of the Medes. 

There he grew richer and richer, and lived a long 
and good life. He died at the age of ninety-nine 
years, with his children and grandchildren around 
him. 



220 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 



JUDITH. 

One hundred years and more before the destruc- 
tion of the kingdom of Juda, a powerful king 
reigned in the land of Assyria; and this king deter- 
mined to make all nations and people obey him and 
serve him. 

So he sent an enormous army into every country. 
Wherever his soldiers went, they destroyed the cities, 
and either killed the inhabitants or took them captive. 

At the head of this army was a brave but cruel 
man, whose name was Holo femes. At his approach 
all the people were filled with terror and dread ; no 
place could stand against him or stop the march of 
his soldiers. 

At last he came into the land of Israel, and rested 
before a town of the Jews that was called Bethulia. 

He sent word to the people of the town to open the 
gates to him at once. Instead of obeying, they pre- 
pared to resist him. 

This made him furious, and he determined to kill 
everyone in the town, men, women and children. 

Now he had amongst his soldiers a man named 
Achior, a leader of the people of Ammon, neighbors 
of the Jews. This man and his people had been 
captured by Holo femes a short while before, and 
had been compelled to serve in his army. 

He called Achior, and asked him : "Who are these 
people that dare refuse to obey, and think that they 
can fight against me ? What makes them so foolish 
and rash ?" 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 221 

"These are the people of Israel who came out of 
Egypt," answered Achior; "and the God whom they 
worhip is a great and powerful God. As long as 
they serve Him, He protects them and makes them 
victorious over all their enemies; but when they sin 
against Him and forget Him, He leaves them de- 
fenceless and alone. So you would do well to find 
out if these people have done any wrong against 
their God. If they have, you will conquer them and 
capture their city, but if they have not, you can do 
nothing against them, for He will fight for them and 
protect them." 

This made Holo femes more angry than ever. 
"And who are you," he cried out, "who dare tell me 
that I cannot overcome these people, and that I shall 
fail ? Are you one of them ? You will see if their 
God can prevent me from taking this city." 

Then he commanded his servants to seize Achior, 
bind him hand and foot, and carry him out in the 
fields near the walls of the city. There they tied 
him to a tree and left him, saying : "Let the people 
of Israel come after you now, and take you into 
their city, and when our master captures the place 
you will be the first to be slain." 

The Jews saw him and, loosing him from the tree, 
brought him into the town. He told them all that 
had taken place, and they comforted him : "Have no 
fear; God will protect us from this man, and you 
will be safe amongst us." 

And now Holo femes and his army moved nearer 
the city. 

Not far off was the stream that supplied the town 
with water. Therefore, what did Holofernes do, 
but turn the course of the stream another way, so 



222 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

that it no longer flowed into the town, and the peo- 
ple could get no water to drink. He knew that the 
little they had would last only a few days, and then 
they must either open their gates to him or die of 
thirst. 

When the Jews found out what he had done, they 
were seized with fear, and prayed more earnestly to 
God for help. 

At last they determined, if no help came in five 
days, to open the gates, and let the enemy in. 

Now there lived in Bethulia at this time, a certain 
rich and beautiful woman named Judith. 

She had lost her husband, and after his death she 
lived a quiet life alone with her servants, spending 
her time in prayer and good works. 

When she heard that the people were about to 
give way to despair, she upbraided them : "Why do 
you set a time for God ? You do wrong and should 
have more patience. God will help you when He 
sees fit, whether it be in five days or more. But now 
pray for me; and if God will help me, I will free 
you from your enemy." 

She went into her house and, falling on her knees, 
prayed : "O God, look on me, your poor servant, and 
give me strength, and protect me when I go into the 
camp of the enemy." Saying this, she dressed her- 
self in her finest and costliest garments and adorned 
herself with gold and precious stones, till she seemed 
the most beautiful woman on earth. She took a 
maid servant with her and set out from the town. 
Passing through the gates of the city, she came into 
the open country, nearer and nearer to the camp of 
the Assyrians. 

At last some of the soldiers saw her and, sur- 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 223 

rounding her, asked: "Who are you, and whither 
are you going?" 

"I am a Hebrew woman from the city, and I am 
going with my servant to Holo femes, your general, 
to ask him to spare my life, for I am afraid he will 
capture the city and kill all the people." 

"You need not be afraid," they answered, "he 
would not kill so beautiful a woman as you. We 
will take you to the general." 

So they brought her to Holo femes; and when he 
saw her, he was struck with astonishment at her 
wonderful beauty. 

"Have no fear," he exclaimed; "I will protect 
you and see that you come to no harm. After I 
have captured this city, I will take you back to my 
country and make you my wife. You shall live with 
me in peace and happiness, and in the enjoyment of 
all that you can desire." 

During four days she remained in the camp of the 
Assyrians, living in a tent not far from the gen- 
eral's. No one molested her, and every night she 
went out to spend the hours in prayer. 

The fourth day, Holof ernes sent for her: "To- 
night we shall have a great feast, and I wish you to 
come and enjoy the good things we have." 

She promised, and when evening drew nigh, went 
to the great tent where he lived, and there a magnifi- 
cent feast was spread. 

The big tent was decorated in all colors, the table 
was laden down with the richest food and rarest 
wines ; everything was of the best. 

Judith seemed more beautiful than ever, and when 
Holofernes looked at her, he admired and loved her 
more and more. 



224 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

After a while he began to grow drowsy from so 
much drinking. Then the feast came to an end, and 
the guests all arose to depart — all except Judith. 

She waited till they were quite gone, then looking 
out the tent door, beckoned to her servant and bade 
her stand by the entrance. Then she went in again 
and saw the general lying on a couch in a drunken 
slumber. His heavy breathing showed that he was 
sleeping soundly and would not easily awake. 

Judith murmured a short prayer to God for help 
and strength ; then, taking the big sword that lay by 
Holofernes' side, she raised it, and with one mighty 
blow, and then another, cut off his head. She rolled 
the dead body under the couch, and, taking the head, 
went to the door of the tent, where the servant 
woman was in waiting. Judith now gave the head, 
all dripping with blood, to the woman to hide in a 
bag they carried with them, and they at once set out 
for the city. 

It was dark, for night had fallen long before, and 
no one stopped them on the way. Coming to the 
gates of the town, Judith cried out to the watchman : 
"Let me in ; I am Judith." 

As soon as she entered, a crowd gathered around 
her, to whom she showed the bleeding head of Holo- 
fernes. 

Immediately the news spread like wildfire through- 
out the city, that the Assyrian general had been 
killed by Judith, and the Jews gathered all their 
soldiers together to march out with great shouting 
and noise, to the camp of the enemy. Hearing the 
tumult, the chiefs of the Assyrians came rushing to 
Holofernes' tent, and there they saw the horrible 
sight of his headless body all covered with blood. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 225 

Fear and confusion seized upon them all; they 
knew not what to do. They thought only of sav- 
ing themselves ; and with a great cry of terror, the 
whole Assyrian army turned and fled by the ways 
of the fields and the paths of the hills. 

When the Jews came up to the camp, it was 
empty; and of all that vast army, not one man was 
to be seen. 

Messengers were sent through all the country to 
tell the news. From every city and town in Israel, 
soldiers poured out in pursuit of the fleeing enemy, 
killing and capturing many, till they all disappeared 
from the land ; the remnant returning to the country 
from which they came. 

Then there was great rejoicing ; and the people of 
Bethulia grew rich from all the treasures that were 
taken from the deserted camp, gold and silver and 
cattle and beasts. 

And from that day, Judith was a great woman in 
her city and in all the country of the Jews, because 
she had delivered her people from their dreaded 
enemy. 

She lived many years after this in peace and joy, 
and died at the good old age of one hundred and 
five years, mourned by all in the land. 



15 



226 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 



ESTHER. 

In the distant land of Persia, there once ruled a 
mighty king whose name was Assuerus. His power 
was so great that he reigned over more than a hun- 
dred provinces, and there was none like him in all 
the world. 

One day he made a great feast, and invited first 
his friends and nobles, and then all the people of the 
city. 

The feast was held in the gardens of the king's 
palace. 

It was a magnificent scene. The place was dec- 
orated with hangings of blue and green and purple, 
suspended from marble pillars; at night, lanterns 
and lights of every color made the garden look like 
fairyland. The guests reclined upon gold and silver 
couches, and drank out of golden cups. The tables 
were loaded down with dishes of choicest meats and 
rarest fruits. 

And for days everyone ate and drank all they 
would, and enjoyed the king's festivity. 

On the last day, he sent word to Vasthi, his queen, 
to come to the banquet hall, that he might show his 
people how beautiful she was with the royal crown 
upon her head. 

Now, it happened that day that the queen herself 
was having a feast with the women of her palace, 
and she sent word to the king that she could not 
come. 

At this, Assuerus became very angry, and he 
asked his friends and advisers what he should do to 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 227 

punish the queen's disobedience. And they an- 
swered him: "O king, the queen has done you a 
great wrong. She has set at naught your authority 
and power, and by her disobedience has given a bad 
example to all the wives of the kingdom, who will 
say : 'We need not obey our husbands, for the queen 
did not obey her's. Therefore, let her no longer be 
your queen; put her away, and chose another who 
will obey you better." 

This advice pleased the king ; he sent poor Vasthi 
away, and she never saw him again. 

Then he ordered his servants to search through 
every city and town in his kingdom for the most 
beautiful women they could find, and to bring them 
to him, that he might choose the one that pleased 
him most. 

Now, there lived at this time in the king's city, a 
Jew by the name of Mardochai, a good and pious 
man ; and he had a neice, an orphan girl, whom he 
had brought up as his own child. Esther, for that 
was her name, was most fair and beautiful, and when 
the king's servants heard of her, they took her with 
the other young women, to be presented to the king. 

As soon as the king saw her, he was struck with 
admiration at her exceeding beauty; and placing 
upon her head the royal crown, he took her as his 
wife, and made her queen of all his kingdom. 

He did not know she was a Jewess, because Mar- 
dochai had commanded her to say nothing of her 
country or her people. 

The king, then, to celebrate his marriage, gave a 
great dinner to all the court, and presented to them 
the new queen, who came before them dressed in 



228 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

magnificent robes, bearing the crown upon her head 
— the most beautiful woman they had ever seen. 

One day whilst Mardochai was resting near the 
king's palace, as he was accustomed often to do, he 
heard two men talking. Something they said 
aroused his attention. He was hidden, and as they 
thought no one was near, he heard every word they 
spoke. What was his horror to learn that they were 
plotting to murder the king. He went at once to 
Assuerus and told him all he had heard. The men 
were arrested, and confessing their guilt, were 
hanged on a gibbet. The story of the whole affair 
was written down in the books of the palace, and 
Mardochai was soon forgotten. 

In the palace there was a man by the name of 
Aman, in high favor with the king, who sought his 
counsel and followed his advice in all things. 

Everybody was afraid of this man ; and when he 
came near, they bowed down before him even to the 
very ground. 

Mardochai alone would not bend his knee nor bow 
to him. When Aman noticed this, he grew very 
angry, and made up his mind to have him put to 
death. He knew that Mardochai was a Jew, and in 
his rage and hatred he determined to put an end to 
all the Jews, scattered in every part of the great 
kingdom. So one day he said to Assuerus : "O king, 
there is in every province of your kingdom a people 
who are different from us in everything ; they follow 
a different religion and have strange customs and 
ways of living. They are a menace to your safety, 
for some day they may rebel against you, and do 
great harm. If you will order me to have them all 






HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 229 

put to death, I will pay a large sum of money into 
your treasury." 

The king granted his request and gave him per- 
mission to have all the Jews in the kingdom put to 
death on a certain day. 

He wrote letters also to all the governors and 
chiefs of the provinces, to see that it was done. 

When the Jews heard of this, they were seized 
with fear. Wailing and weeping, they prayed to 
God to deliver them from this latest danger. And 
God heard their prayer. 

As soon as Mardochai learned of the cruel decree, 
he sent word to Esther that the king was about to 
put all the Jews to death. 

"What can I do?" she answered. "For the last 
thirty days he has not called for me, and I cannot see 
him. You know there is a law, that any one 
who comes into the king's presence unbidden 
shall be killed at once. I am afraid to go." "You 
must go to him," Mardochai told her. "If you do 
not, you also shall die, for the king will find out that 
you are a Jewess. But have no fear; God will be 
with you. Go boldly to the king, and ask him to 
spare our lives ; he may do that for you, for he loves 
you tenderly. It was for this that God has placed 
you here as queen, that you might save your people." 

"I will go," she answered; "but you and all our 
people must pray that God may be with me and help 
me." 

Three days after that, Esther, clothed in magnifi- 
cent robes and adorned with jewels of rarest beauty, 
prepared to go unbidden into the king's presence. 

Never had she seemed more handsome, but under 
the rosy color of her face, and her gracious and 



230 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

bright eyes, she hid a mind full of anguish and ex- 
ceeding great fear, not knowing but that she was 
going to her death. 

Leaning upon two of her maids, she passed 
through all the doors and stood before the king as 
he sat upon his royal throne, clothed in his kingly 
robes, glittering with gold and precious stones ; and 
he was terrible to behold. 

He looked angrily at her, and his blazing eyes 
showed the wrath of his heart. The queen sank 
down in terror, her face turned pale, and she rested 
her head upon her servant's shoulder. At once the 
king was seized with pity, seeing her so beautiful 
and helpless, and leaping down from his throne, he 
came to her and lifted her up. "Fear not, Esther," 
he exclaimed; "you shall not die; this law is for 
others, not for you." 

Seeing that she did not answer, he cried out: 
"Speak, Esther! why do you not speak to me? Be 
not afraid, for no harm shall come to you. Ask 
of me anything you wish; though it be the half of 
my kingdom, you shall have it." 

Then the queen raised her head and spoke : "My 
lord, when I saw you on your throne, I was afraid, 
for you were like unto a terrible angel. But now I 
beseech you, do me this favor; come — and Aman 
with you — to a banquet I have prepared for you 
today." 

The king promised readily, and when the hour 
arrived, he and Aman went to the banquet the queen 
had prepared. 

In the course of the dinner, he asked her again: 
"What do you wish me to do for you? Ask for 
anything you desire, and you shall have it." 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 231 

"If I have found favor in your sight," she an- 
swered, "I beg that you and Aman will come again 
to my banquet tomorrow." The king promised to 
come. 

Aman was overjoyed at the favor the queen had 
shown him. Going out of the palace, he saw Mar- 
dochai sitting on the steps at the entrance. Aman 
looked at him with eyes of hate, but Mardochai 
would not so much as rise up to salute him. 

Aman went home to his wife and friends, and 
told them all that had happened, adding : "I met that 
Jew Mardochai, and he would not even rise up to 
salute me. I hate that man, and cannot get rid of 
him soon enough." "As you are in such great 
favor with the king," answered his wife, "you need 
not be afraid to make an end of Mardochai. Have 
a gibbet built in your garden here, and ask the king 
to let you hang the Jew upon it." This pleased the 
wicked man, for it was just what he wanted; and so 
he returned to the palace to make the request. 

That night the king could not sleep, and he 
ordered his servants to read to him the annals of his 
kingdom. When they came to the story of the plot 
to murder the king, that was discovered and pre- 
vented by Mardochai, he stopped them and asked: 
"What reward did this man ever receive?" They 
told him he had received no reward, except a few 
presents. 

"Is any one in attendance in the palace now?" 

"Yes, Aman is just outside the door." 

"Call him in." 

So Aman came in, intending to ask that he might 
put Mardochai to death. Before he could speak, the 



232 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

king said to him : "Tell me what I should do. There 
is a man whom I wish to honor. How shall I do it." 

Aman thought that he himself must be the man, 
and answered: "Let him be clothed in the king's 
robes and placed upon the king's horse; and let one 
of the great nobles of the palace go before him, cry- 
ing out to all the people : 'Behold the man whom the 
king washes to honor.' " 

Hardly had he finished these words, when, to his 
great surprise and consternation, the king com- 
manded: "Make haste, and go to Mardochai, the 
Jew, for he is the man. Do all that you have said, 
and see to it that you do not leave out a single 
thing." Aman was obliged to obey. When morn- 
ing came, he clothed Mardochai in the king's own 
robe, and setting him on the king's horse, went be- 
fore him through the streets of the city, crying out 
to all the people: "Thus is he honored, whom the 
king wishes to honor." 

Furious, he returned to his own home; but soon 
the king's servants came after him to bid him attend 
the queen's banquet. 

The king and Aman went in to the dinner, and 
again the king asked: "What is your petition, 
Esther? Ask of me anything you wish, and it shall 
be granted." 

Then the queen fell on her knees before him, cry- 
ing out : "O king, spare my life and that of my peo- 
ple, for we are given up to be slain and to perish." 

"Why, who has done this ?" he exclaimed in great 
surprise. Esther answered: "It is this man here, 
your servant Aman; it is he w r ho caused you to 
order the death of all my people, for I am a Jewess; 
and now I pray for my life and theirs." 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 233 

"Fear not," said the king; "you shall not die, nor 
your people, but this man shall not live another 
day." 

He called his servants, and ordered them to bind 
Aman hand and foot. Some one told him of the 
high gibbet built in the garden for Mardochai. 
"Take him there at once, and hang him upon it;" 
said the king. And so it was done, and this was the 
end of that most wicked man. 

Then Esther told the king that Mardochai was 
her uncle, and to him was given the place that Aman 
had occupied in the palace. 

The king did more; he wrote letters to all the 
governors and chiefs throughout his kingdom, to 
protect the Jews, and not allow them to be put to 
death. 

And so all things turned out well. The Jews re- 
joiced when they heard the good news, and kept the 
day of their deliverance as a great holiday with 
feasting and gladness. 

Queen Esther lived many years longer ; Mardochai 
became a great man in the kingdom, the counsellor 
and friend of the king, and the Jews dwelt in peace 
and quiet in all the land of Persia. 



DANIEL. 

You remember that I told you in another story 
how the king of Babylon came to the land of the 
Jews, destroyed the city of Jerusalem, and carried 
away many of the inhabitants into his own country. 

Among the captives was a beautiful boy, whose 



234 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

name was Daniel. He belonged to the family of the 
Jewish king, and not only was he pleasing in look 
and manner, but, better still, he was a good and 
pious lad. 

The king of Babylon took a great liking to him, 
and sent him to be taught in the same school with the 
children of the great nobles of the land. There the 
boy advanced in knowledge and wisdom above all 
his companions. In a few years he was known all 
over the city as one of the wisest men in the king- 
dom. 

All this time he would not adore the idols or false 
gods of the people around, but prayed to the one 
true God, and served him faithfully. 

He often went amongst his people, the Jews, who 
had been taken away from their country into this 
distant land, and comforted them and helped them 
in every way he could. 

Now there lived in the city, in those days, a most 
beautiful woman named Susanna, a pious and virtu- 
ous young Jewess. Her husband was very wealthy, 
and they lived in a fine house surrounded with 
beautiful grounds. Among those who came fre- 
quently to this house were two old men who were 
leaders among the Jews. 

One day Susanna was walking alone in the gar- 
den, some distance from the house, when she met 
these two men, who were hiding there on purpose. 

Seeing them, she was about to turn away, but 
they came up and, to her horror and dismay, threat- 
ened that if she would not commit a certain wicked 
crime, they would accuse her of it before all the peo- 
ple, and have her put to death. 

Frightened as she was, she cried out : "I will not 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 235 

do this evil that you wish. God will protect me, 
and will not let me come to harm." 

Thereupon the two men, calling out to the ser- 
vants in the house to come to the garden in haste, 
before them all, accused the innocent young woman 
of the crime. She protested again and again that 
she was innocent, but every one believed the old 
men, and the young girl was condemned to death. 

They were leading her out to die, when the sad 
procession passed near the palace gate, where Daniel 
happened to be seated. 

"What does this mean? What is the matter?" 
he cried out. They told him the whole story. 

"This woman is not guilty, and you are about to 
shed innocent blood." At this, they all stopped in 
amazement, and he accompanied them back to the 
judgment hall. 

He ordered the two old men to be placed in sepa- 
rate rooms, where they could not speak one to the 
other. Then before the young woman and all the 
people, he had the first one brought in and ques- 
tioned: "You saw this girl commit the crime of 
which you accuse her?" "I did;" was the answer. 
"Tell us, then, under what tree was she when it was 
done?" "Under a mastic tree." Daniel sent that 
one away and called the other. "Tell me ; did you 
see the girl commit this crime ?" "I did ;" answered 
the old man. "Under which tree was it done?" 
"Under an oak tree." At this everyone in the room 
cried out; for they saw that the men had lied, and 
that the girl was innocent. She was set at liberty 
at once, and sent to her home in honor. But the 
two wicked old men were sentenced to death in her 
place; and before they died, they confessed that they 



236 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

had made up the whole story, and the young girl 
was guiltless. 

The fame of Daniel's wisdom spread now through 
all the land; and amongst all the wise men at the 
court of the king, Daniel was first. 

One night whilst the king was sleeping soundly in 
his bed, he had a dream which terrified him greatly, 
and he was disturbed in his sleep and frightened. 
When he awoke in the morning, he remembered his 
fear, but what the dream was he had entirely for- 
gotten. 

Calling together all his wise men, he said to them : 
"Last night I had a terrible dream, which disturbed 
me greatly. Tell me what the dream was, for it 
has passed from my memory; and tell me what it 
means." 

"O king," they answered, "let us know your 
dream, and we will tell you what it means." "Did 
I not say that I had forgotten it?" he exclaimed. 
"You are wise men, and know all about dreams. If 
some one of you cannot tell me the dream, I will 
have you all put to death." 

Daniel was not in the palace when this was going 
on; and it was later that he heard the king had 
ordered all the wise men to be killed because no one 
could tell him his dream. 

Without hesitation, he went in to the king and 
promised that in a few days he would tell him all 
about the dream and what it meant. He spent these 
days in prayer, beseeching God to reveal it to him. 
At the end of the time given him, he went again to 
the king, and said: 

"I know the dream, and it is this: Whilst you 
were asleep you saw an enormous statue; the head 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 237 

was of gold, the breast and anus of silver, the 
stomach and thighs of brass, the legs of iron, and 
the feet partly of iron and partly of clay. And 
whilst you were still gazing at it, a stone came roll- 
ing down the side of the hill, sent by invisible hands. 
The stone struck the statue and broke it all to pieces ; 
then the stone began to grow larger and larger, till 
it became a great mountain. 

"Now this is the meaning of the dream : God has 
shown you by it, what is going to take place in the 
years to come. 

"You are a great king, powerful and strong; your 
kingdom is the head of gold. After you w T ill come 
another king, not so great nor strong; he is the 
breast and arms of silver. After that another king 
will arise, and he is the brass. After him, the 
fourth kingdom will be as iron; and this kingdom 
will be divided into smaller ones, which are the 
iron and the clay together. And after a while God 
will set up another kingdom, of a different kind 
entirely, and this kingdom will conquer all the 
others; this is the stone rolling down from the 
mountain. 

"All this will come to pass before the end of the 
world." 

Hearing this, the king was struck with admiration 
at the wisdom of Daniel, and he made him governor 
of all Babylon and first in the kingdom after him- 
self. 

Many of the great men around the king did not 
like this, for Daniel was a Jew ; therefore, they had 
no great love for him. They were afraid to do him 
any hann because he was the king's favorite; but 
they knew that he had three friends — Jews like 



238 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

himself— whom he dearly loved, and they sought an 
opportunity to do them some harm, and so to grieve 
the heart of Daniel. The chance came soon enough. 
It happened, not long after, that the king made a 
great statue of gold, and set it up in the open country 
where every one could see it. Then he sent mes- 
sages to all the inhabitants of the land, that on a 
certain day and at a certain hour, all should go down 
on their knees and adore the statue as their God. 

The day came and Daniel's enemies watched the 
three Jews and gladly saw that they did not obey 
the king's command. They, of course, went at 
once to the king and told him. He sent for the 
three young men, and put the question to them : 

"Is it true that you refuse to obey me, and will 
not kneel to my statue and pray to it?" 

"We pray only to the one true God," they an- 
swered; "We will not kneel to your statue." 

Furious at their answer, the king ordered them 
to be tied hand and foot, and cast into an enormous 
furnace heated to seven times its ordinary heat. 

The flames leaping out of the furnace killed the 
attendants nearby, and the three young men fell, 
bound and helpless as they were, into the midst of 
the fire. 

A wonderful thing then occurred, and startled all 
who saw it. The three rose to their feet and walked 
in the midst of the flames, untouched and unharmed ; 
and a fourth person was seen standing by them. It 
was an Angel from heaven. Together, in a loud, 
sweet voice, they sang a hymn of praise and thanks- 
giving to God, still in the midst of the flames. 

Word was brought to the king, who came in haste 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 239 

to see the wonder, and he ordered the young men 
to be freed from the furnace. 

At once, the Angel disappeared, and the three men 
came out with even their clothes untouched by the 
fire. 

Then the king embraced them; and bringing 
them into his palace, he gave them places of honor 
and command in his kingdom. 

The king again had a dream. This time he saw 
a great tree of which the leaves were most beautiful, 
and the fruit most abundant ; its branches spread far 
and wide, giving shelter to the birds and the cattle 
and the wild beasts. 

Then was heard a voice from heaven : "Cut down 
the tree, cut off its branches, scatter its leaves and 
fruit ; let the beasts that are under it run away, and 
the birds fly away from its branches. But let the 
stump remain, and be tied with a band of iron and 
of brass; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and 
let it so remain till seven years have passed." 

The king awoke in great fright, and called his 
w T ise men ; but they could not tell him what it meant. 

He sent for Daniel and told him the dream. 

For an hour Daniel answered not a w^ord ; then he 
spoke : 

"Since you ask, I must tell you the meaning of the 
dream. The great tree that you saw, is yourself; 
for you are great and powerful, and all your peo- 
ple take shelter under the shadow of your hand. 
But soon God will take your kingdom from you, 
and you shall be driven out from among men, and 
shall live with the beasts of the field, and shall eat 
grass like an ox ; and this shall last for seven years, 
and then all will be restored to you." 



2 4 o HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

And so it came about. Twelve months after, the 
king was one day walking in his palace, thinking of 
his power and riches and of all his great deeds. In a 
moment a loud voice came from the heavens : "The 
hour has come, and now your kingdom shall pass 
from you." 

At the same moment he was stricken mad ; he tore 
his clothes from his body, and ran like an animal 
from the palace into the woods. For seven years 
he lived like a beast ; his hair grew long and matted 
and his nails like claws of birds ; he ate grass like an 
ox, and lived amongst the beasts day and night. 

When the seven years were over, his senses re- 
turned to him. He was clothed as before, and he 
came back to his palace. His kingdom was re- 
stored to him, and from that day to the day of his 
death, not long after, he lived in peace and pros- 
perity, acknowledging the great power of the God 
of the Jews. 

After him came a new king of Babylon, whose 
name was Baltasar. 

One day Baltasar made a great feast for all his 
nobles, and a thousand guests sat at table. During 
the feast, the king ordered the sacred vessels that 
had been taken from the temple of Jerusalem, to be 
used ; and the nobles drank their wine from the sa- 
cred cups. 

Whilst they were all enjoying themselves, eating 
and drinking, suddenly, on the walls of the room a 
hand appeared, and it wrote three words that no 
one could understand. 

The king and his nobles looked on with fear and 
wonder. Then the king sent for all his wise men, 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 241 

that they might tell him the meaning of the words. 
But none of them knew. 

The queen now said: "Call for Daniel; he is 
wiser than all the others, and can tell you what this 
means." 

When Daniel came, the king promised that if he 
could explain the meaning of the words, he should 
be clothed in royal purple and made a prince of the 
land, the third after the king. 

"Keep your presents, O king; I have no need of 
them," Daniel cried; "but I will tell you the words 
and their meaning. 

"These three words are Mane, Thecel, Phares, 
and their meaning is this: God has numbered the 
days of your kingdom, and they are at an end. You 
are weighed in the balance, and found wanting. 
Your kingdom is divided and given to your ene- 
mies." 

Actually, that very night, whilst the king and his 
nobles were feasting, and all the rest of the city lay 
buried in sleep, a great army of Persians encamped 
outside the city walls, and in the darkness they 
changed the course of the river that flowed into the 
city, and entered the town along the dry bed of the 
stream. 

Silently and stealthily they came, until the city 
was filled with soldiers. The palace was surrounded, 
the king and all his nobles were killed, and the city 
was captured. 

At the head of that army was a chief named 
Darius, who now became the king of Babylon. 

He had heard of the great wisdom of Daniel, and 
made him one of the princes of his kingdom. Soon 
he grew to admire and love Daniel more and more, 

16 



242 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

and determined to make him governor over all the 
kingdom, second only to himself. 

When the nobles heard of this, they were filled 
with envy, and sought to find some means of bring- 
ing Daniel into disfavor with his master. 

So they went to Darius one day, and said: "O 
king, we beg you to show your great power to all 
these people, and to make a decree that for thirty 
days no one should pray to their God, or to any one 
but to you. If anybody disobey this command, let 
him be cast into the lions' den." 

This pleased the pride of Darius; without think- 
ing further, he did as they asked and signed the de- 
cree. 

Then they set a watch on Daniel, for they knew 
that three times each day he used to kneel down and 
pray to the true God. 

In a few days they came back to the king, and said 
to him : "There is a man in this very city who has 
disobeyed your command." "Who is he?" asked 
the king. "But no matter who he may be, let him 
be cast to the lions." When they told him it was 
Daniel, his favorite, the king was sorry he had spo- 
ken, and tried to save Daniel ; but the nobles said to 
him : "You know, O king, it is a law of the Persians, 
that what the king has once said, cannot be changed 
and must be done." And so it was. 

Darius, then, against his will, gave orders to have 
Daniel cast to the lions. That day the king could 
neither eat nor rest, so deep was his sorrow; and 
when evening came, he w T ent to the lion's den, think- 
ing to find but the mangled body of his friend. 
There a wonderful sight greeted his eyes. The 
enormous cage was rilled with the huge, fierce ani- 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 243 

mals ; and among them stood Daniel, calm and fear- 
less, looking towards heaven, his lips moving in 
prayer. 

Around him were grouped the angry, growling 
beasts, lashing their tails in fury, with hungry looks 
eyeing the man in their midst. They seemed each 
moment about to spring upon him, but were kept 
back by some invisible hand; their fury was less 
than their fear; hungry and fierce as they were, 
they dared not touch him. 

Seeing Darius, Daniel cried out: "Master, fear 
not. God has sent his Angel from heaven, who has 
closed the mouths of the beasts, so that they cannot 
do me harm." 

At this the king commanded him to be taken out 
of the cage; and the nobles who had accused him, 
were thrown into the den. At once the ravenous 
beasts rushed upon them and tore them in pieces. 

Daniel returned to the palace, and lived there for 
many years very happily. 

In the meantime, Darius died, and after him, 
Cyrus ascended the throne. He also loved Daniel, 
and kept him always with him. 

It was during these years that the Angel Gabriel 
came to Daniel and told him many wonderful things, 
of which one was that soon the new king, Cyrus, 
would allow all the Jews to go back to their own 
country, and again to build up Jerusalem and the 
Temple. And from the day they went back, sixty- 
nine weeks of years, that is four hundred and eighty- 
three years, would pass, and then Christ, the Sav- 
iour would come on earth, and would be rejected 
and put to death by his people. And after that, 
Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed by a 



244 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

strange nation, who would come from across the 
seas; and the Jews would be scattered throughout 
all the earth, never to come together again, till the 
end of the world. 

Before I bring my story to an end, I must tell you 
the tale of Bel and the Dragon, to show how wise 
a man was Daniel. 

It seems that there was in the city of Babylon a 
great idol, or statue, called Bel, which the people 
adored as a god. The king also worshiped it, and 
w r ent every day to pray to the statue. Each day a 
great quantity of food was placed before the idol, 
and strange to say, by the next morning it had al- 
ways disappeared. 

On one occasion the king said to Daniel: "Why 
do you not adore the idol ? Do you not believe that 
it is a living god? You see all the food it con- 
sumes each day." 

Daniel smiled and said : "This is no god, nor does 
it eat." The king became very angry; and calling 
the priests of Bel, he asked them if in truth the idol 
ate the food set before it. "Of course;" they an- 
swered. "We will show you that he does." 

That evening, the priests, in the presence of the 
king and Daniel, brought the food and placed it be- 
fore the idol ; then they left the building. 

When they had gone away, Daniel took some 
ashes and scattered them all around the floor. 
He and the king then locked the door and left the 
temple. 

When they arrived early the next morning, they 
saw that the food had really all disappeared. "Now," 
cried out the king; "will you not believe that Bel is 
a god?" 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 245 

Daniel laughed and pointed to the floor. In the 
ashes they could see foot prints, showing that some 
one had been there that night. The foot prints 
seemed to come from behind the statue, and there 
they found a secret door, cleverly hidden. Each 
night, the priests of Bel used to come through this 
door and eat up the provisions. 

When the king saw this, he destroyed the idol 
and killed all the priests in his anger. 

There was also in Babylon a great Dragon, or 
Serpent, that the people worshiped as a god. 

The king, one day, said to Daniel: "Surely you 
cannot say that the Dragon is not a god. Why do 
you not worship him?" 

"If you will give me leave," Daniel answered, "I 
will very soon show you that he is not a god." 

The king agreed. Then Daniel took some pitch 
and fat and hair, and boiling them together, made 
a cake of them. He puts this cake in the Dragon's 
mouth, and at once the great Serpent burst asunder 
and fell to the ground in pieces. 

When the people of Babylon learned this, they 
gathered together in crowds, and ran to the king's 
palace shouting and crying: "The king has become 
a Jew. He has destroyed Bel; he has killed the 
Dragon and the priests." 

They demanded that he should give up Daniel to 
them to be destroyed. At first the king refused. 
Then he became frightened ; and fearing for his own 
life, he delivered Daniel into their hands. 

They took him at once and cast him into a cage 
of fierce lions, to be devoured; and there they left 
him. 



246 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

At the very same time, far off in the land of 
Israel, there was a Jew named Habacuc, who was 
carrying some dinner to the laborers in the field. 
All of a sudden, an Angel appeared to him and told 
him to take the dinner to Daniel in the lions' den at 
Babylon. 

"But I never saw Babylon," he answered; "and I 
know not where the lions' den is." 

Instantly, the Angel lifted him into the air, and 
in a few moments, carried him to the city of Baby- 
lon, and set him down in front of the lions' cage. 
There was Daniel, unharmed by the beasts, who 
were standing around him, not daring to touch him. 
Habacuc gave Daniel the dinner, and as quickly as 
he had been brought thence, the Angel carried him 
back to his country, and set him down in the field he 
had left. 

Shortly after, the king came to the lions' den, and 
to his great joy, he found Daniel unharmed. 

He commanded him to be taken out of the cage, 
but those that had put him there, were ordered to be 
cast into the den. No sooner said than done; and 
in a moment the hungry lions pounced upon them 
and devoured them ; and nothing was left but their 
bones. 

For some years after, Daniel lived secure and 
happy in the friendship of the king. And when his 
time was come to die, he gave up his soul to God, 
and closed his eyes in peace. 

He was buried with great pomp and ceremony; 
and for many days after, was mourned, not only by 
his own people, the Jews, but by all the inhabitants 
of the land of Babylon. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 247 



KING ANTIOCHUS. 

Seventy years had passed since the people of Israel 
were carried captive into a strange land. And now, 
amongst all the Jews scattered throughout the vast 
empire of Babylon, there was great rejoicing. 
Cyrus, the king, was about to permit them to return 
to their native country and rebuild Jerusalem and 
the Temple. 

The happy time arrived at last. From the many 
towns and villages of Persia, came immense throngs 
of Jews, forming a great caravan, that set out for 
home. 

After many days, they came to the borders of 
Judea, and then to the city of Jerusalem. There 
they set to work, and began to build up the houses 
that had fallen into ruin and decay. They sur- 
rounded the city with high and strong walls, and, 
presently, the Temple itself arose from its ruins and 
reared its own lofty walls to heaven. 

With feasting and gladness the new Temple was 
dedicated, after which the people dispersed in peace 
to their homes in the city and in the villages and 
towns around, where for a while they dwelt in hap- 
py security. 

Many years now passed ; and in the meantime the 
kingdom of Persia was destroyed, and other kings 
rose up, who loved not the people of Israel. 

Nearly three hundred years after the return of the 
Jews to their native land, there lived in Syria a cer- 
tain wicked king. He had been told that enormous 



248 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

sums of money and treasures of gold and silver were 
kept by the Jews in the Temple of Jerusalem. So he 
made up his mind to take these riches away by force, 
and keep them for himself. He sent an officer 
named Heliodorus, with many soldiers, to Jerusalem. 

The officer came to the high priest and told him 
his errand, saying that he had come to take away all 
the treasures of the Temple. 

"There are no treasures here," answered the 
priest, "only the money that is used for the support 
of the widows and orphans of Israel. Surely you 
would not rob the poor." 

"My master has sent me here," was the reply, "to 
take the money away; and take it I will." 

This answer filled all the Jews with consternation ; 
and they prayed to God with many tears not to suf- 
fer His Holy Temple to be robbed by sacrilegious 
hands. 

Without delay, Heliodorus set out with his guard, 
for the Temple. He entered the sacred building, and 
was on the way to the treasure chamber when, all of 
a sudden, he stopped. Right before him, directly 
in his path, he saw a man mounted on a horse, and 
the man was terrible to behold. He was clothed all 
over in armor of gold, and his face was as bright as 
the sun. 

The horse advanced towards Heliodorus, and 
raising its forefoot, struck him to the ground. At 
once two other men, bright like the first, appeared ; 
and before the unfortunate man could rise from the 
ground, they scourged him again and again, till he 
seemed about to die. The guards tried to rush for- 
ward, but they could not move a step. Then the 
three men, who were no other than Angels sent from 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 249 

heaven, disappeared as suddenly as they had come. 
The soldiers took up the almost lifeless body of 
Heliodorus and caried him out of the Temple. His 
friends begged the high priest to pray that God 
might spare the life of the wounded man. 

And while the high priest was praying, the same 
three men appeared again to Heliodorus, clothed as 
they were before, and said to him : 

"For the sake of the high priest, God has spared 
your life. Give thanks for this; and when you re- 
turn home, tell your master all that has happened." 

They disappeared, and at the same moment Helio- 
dorus became well and strong again. 

With many earnest thanks that his life was spared, 
he left the city with his soldiers, and went back to 
the king, to whom he told all that had happened, and 
added : "O king, if you have an enemy of whom you 
wish to be rid, send him to Jerusalem to take the 
treasures from the Temple, and he will never re- 
turn to you alive, for the great God of the Jews 
protects his Temple, and He will punish those who 
strive to do it harm." 

For a while at least, the Temple was left undis- 
turbed; and not long after, the king himself died. 

And now sad days were in store for the people of 
Israel. Another king reigned in Syria, a most 
wicked and cruel man, whose name was Antiochus. 

For the space of forty days, in all the city of Jeru- 
salem wonderful signs were seen in the air. Bands 
of soldiers on foot and on horse were seen fighting 
against one another, and there was clashing of arms 
and shaking of spears and all the signs of war. The 
people, seeing these strange omens, were filled with 
terror and dread ; and they prayed without ceasing, 



2 so HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

in fear that some great evil was about to fall upon 
them. And so it came to be. 

Rumors were heard that Antiochus was marching 
towards Jerusalem with a great army of soldiers. 
Soon he appeared before the walls of the unfortu- 
nate city. 

The battle was brief and sharp, and the city was 
taken. Terrible was the slaughter of young and 
old, women and children, for the wicked king had 
given orders to spare no one. In the space of three 
days eighty thousand people were killed, and as 
many made prisoners and slaves. 

Now there lived, at this time, a very old man, 
Eleazar by name, a good and pious Jew. 

One day he was seized by the soldiers of the king, 
and brought to the judgment hall. They placed the 
flesh of swine before him, and told him if he would 
not eat it he would be put to death with cruel tor- 
ments. You know that the religion of the Jews 
forbade them to eat the flesh of swine. 

In spite of all their threats, Eleazar refused. 
Some who were standing by had pity on the vener- 
able old man, seeing him weak and tottering from 
age, and just as he was about to be led away to exe- 
cution, they took him aside and said to him : "Wait 
a minute. We will give you some other flesh that 
it is lawful for you to eat, and we will tell the king 
that you have obeyed him. In this way you will 
save your life, without disobeying your law." 

But he calmly answered : "No, I will not do even 
that. For if I do, many of the young men of my 
nation will be deceived and think that I have eaten 
the swine's flesh; and they will say: 'Eleazar, who 
loved the law, has now forsaken it; so we may do 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 251 

the same.' No; I would rather suffer all things and 
give up my life, than stain my last few years by so 
great a sin." 

As soon as he had spoken these words, he was 
dragged away to execution and scourged to death. 
So he died, leaving to all the people an example of 
virtue and of courage. 

There lived, also, at this time, a widow with seven 
sons, good and virtuous young men. They, too, 
were arrested and brought before the king, and 
commanded to eat the flesh of the swine. 

At once the eldest boy spoke up : "We will not do 
what you ask, for we are ready to die rather than 
disobey the law." 

The king, in anger, ordered his tongue to be cut 
out, his hands and feet cut off, and then had him 
burned to death. 

The second came before the king; and when he 
refused to obey, he, too, was put to death with 
dreadful torments. And so with each one of them, 
until they came to the youngest, who was but a mere 
youth. 

The king called him and said: "You are only 
a boy; are you not afraid to die? If you will do 
what I wish, I will make you rich and happy." 
Still the boy refused. The king called the mother, 
and told her to advise her son, before it was too 
late, to save his life. 

"My son," she said to the youth; "I beseech you 
by all the love you have for me, heed not the words 
of this cruel man. Die as your brothers have died, 
for God and for His law." 

"Why are they waiting?" he answered. "I will 
not obey the king." Then he continued : "And you, 



252 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

O wicked man, with all your power, you cannot es- 
cape the hand of God. Soon you will suffer as 
much as we have suffered, for God will bring down 
your pride to the ground." 

At this the king became furious, and he ordered 
the boy to be tormented more than all the others. 

Last of all, and after she had been forced to see 
her sons all die so horribly, the mother also was put 
to death. 

The king went on in his wickedness and cruelty; 
but the anger of God was about to overtake him. 

Some years later, he went with an army into 
Persia; for in one of the cities of that country there 
was a temple, in which were kept enormous treasures 
of gold and silver, and he determined to capture the 
city and take away the treasure. 

The people heard of his coming, and gathering to- 
gether an army, fought bravely against him and 
drove him out of the city, killing many of his men. 

The king was filled with rage; and in his fury, 
he determined to attack Jerusalem and put all the 
people to death. So he set out in great haste, boast- 
ing on the way, that he would turn the city into a 
graveyard, and leave not a living soul within its 
walls. As he was thinking these things in his 
heart, and speaking to those around him, a fearful 
pain struck him, and he seemed to be all on fire. 
The pain grew worse, until it was unbearable. Still 
he hurried on towards Jerusalem; but as he was 
driving fast in his chariot, he was thrown by an un- 
seen hand upon the ground, and there he lay stunned 
and helpless. 

When the soldiers came to pick him up, they drew 
back in horror, for a fearful sight greeted their eyes. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 253 

He had turned almost black; the worms were 
swarming out of his body and crawling all over 
him ; the flesh began to rot and fall from his bones ; 
and the stench was impossible to bear. Soon no one 
would come near him, for fear and disgust. He, 
who seemed so great and powerful before, had 
fallen so low, that even the slaves could hardly be 
forced to tend him. 

And so in awful suffering, he died a miserable 
death, far from his home, in a strange country 
among the mountains. 

Thus did God bring down the pride of this evil 
man, and punish him as he deserved ; and when the 
news of his death was spread abroad, the Jews re- 
joiced and gave thanks to God that He had freed 
them from so wicked and cruel an enemy. 



THE MACHABEES. 

In the days of the wicked king Antiochus, there 
dwelt in the land of the Jews, a brave and just man, 
whose name was Mathathias. He had five sons, 
strong, hardy and courageous like the father. They 
were called the Machabees. 

They had left their home in Jerusalem to escape 
the persecution of Antiochus, and had gone to live 
in a town near the mountains, called Modin. 

After a while, some of the officers of Antiochus 
came to this town to compel the Jews living there 
to obey the king's command and forsake the law of 
God. They said to Mathathias : "You are an hon- 



254 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

orable and great man in your city. If you will obey 
the commands of the king, he will enrich you with 
many presents of gold and silver, and will number 
you among his friends." 

But the brave old man made answer: "Tell the 
king to keep his presents and his friendship. As for 
me, I and my family will obey the law of God, and 
not the commands of the king." 

Hardly had he finished these words, when he saw 
a Jew approaching the altar to offer sacrifice to the 
idol of the heathens, according to the king's com- 
mand. 

But just as the man was about to commit this sin, 
Mathathias, in grief and wrath, fell upon him in the 
sight of all, and killed him. He then turned upon 
the officer, and with one blow struck him to the 
ground. 

Calling out in a loud voice for all the Jews who 
loved the law of God to follow them, he and his 
sons escaped from the city before they could be ar- 
rested, and fled to the mountains. 

Soon they were joined by many others who re- 
mained faithful to the law of God, and for a while, 
they and their families abode in the mountains. 

When the news of this was carried to the king, 
he became furious, and gathering together an army, 
set out in pursuit. After a while he came up to 
some of the Jews, who were encamped in a certain 
part of the mountains, but it happened that Matha- 
thias and his sons were not among them just at that 
time. 

It was on the Sabbath, or holy day, of the He- 
brews that the king prepared for battle. But first 






HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 255 

he sent word to them : "Will you now obey the king's 
command?" 

They answered: "We will not; but we will die 
in our innocence, for God and for His laws." 

And because it was the Sabbath, without striking 
a blow, or offering the least resistance, they all suf- 
fered death; and in that day one thousand of the 
Jews were killed, men, women and children. 

When Mathathias heard of this, he and his fol- 
lowers made up their minds not to lay down their 
lives without resisting, but to fight bravely and to the 
last against the king and his men. 

Forming amongst themselves a goodly army, 
they fought many battles and defeated the enemy. 
Then Mathathias went about the country, throwing 
down the altars of the idols and bringing back his 
people to the worship of the true God. 

As the end of his days now drew near, Mathathias 
called his sons to him and said to them : "I am about 
to join my fathers. Be zealous for the law of the 
true God, and give up your lives for it, if necessary, 
Many wicked men have risen up against us, and 
many hard days are in store for our country. But 
God will be with you; fight bravely and you shall 
be glorious. When I am gone, choose your brother 
Judas to be the head of the army, for he is strong 
and brave, and he will lead you valiantly." 

Having ended these words, he blessed them, and 
closed his eyes in death. 

His sons buried him in Modin, and all Israel 
mourned for him in great sorrow and grief. 

In the meantime, Judas, having now become the 
leader of his people, fought against the enemies of 
his country. 



256 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

Before one of the battles, the enemy being in 
great numbers and strength, Judas, prostrate upon 
the ground, begged God to help His people against 
so formidable a foe, and to fight with them against 
their enemy. 

Then the battle began; and in the very height of 
the conflict, when the fight was fiercest, there came 
down from heaven, in the sight of all, five men, 
covered with golden armor and mounted on fiery 
steeds. Two of these men took Judas between them 
and covered him with their arms. Then they and 
the others cast darts and balls of flaming fire upon 
the enemy on all sides. 

With a cry of terror at so dreadful a sight, the 
enemy gave way, and in that one day over twenty 
thousand were killed, while the rest fled for their 
lives. 

And so God answered the prayer of Judas, for 
these five men were Angels, whom he sent from 
heaven to fight against the enemy and drive them 
out of the land. 

Antiochus died some time after this, and his son 
ascended the throne. He, also, was determined to 
conquer the whole land of Israel. So he assembled 
a powerful army, and in this army he had a number 
of huge elephants trained to fight. Then he set 
out for the country of the Jews, in search of Judas 
and his men. 

Soon the two armies approached each other and 
began to fight, but many of the Jews were stricken 
with terror on seeing the elephants, for never had 
they beheld anything like them before. 

In truth, the great beasts, maddened by the sight 
and smell of blood, trampled under foot hundreds 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 257 

of the Jewish soldiers; others were seized in their 
trunks and flung high in the air, only to fall limp and 
lifeless upon the ground. It was terrific. 

Still Judas and his men fought bravely on. 

Now, amongst the Jewish soldiers there was a cer- 
tain brave man named Eleazar. He saw that one 
elephant, the largest of all, was doing frightful havoc 
amongst the men, killing and wounding many. He 
ran boldly up to the animal, thrusting aside all who 
tried to stop him. Then he deliberately stood right 
under the beast, and with all his strength, drove his 
sword into its stomach ; and the huge elephant fell 
dead to the ground. But in his fall he crushed out 
the life of the brave Eleazar. 

At last the Jews were defeated, and the king went 
on his way to Jerusalem. He entered the city, 
which was almost deserted, and breaking down the 
walls, went back to his country in triumph. 

Many more battles Judas bravely fought in de- 
fence of his country and his people. And now his 
last one was at hand. 

The enemy, twenty-two thousand strong, marched 
against him, and Judas had but eight hundred men. 
Think of it ; only eight hundred men against twenty- 
two thousand ! 

With heavy heart and grievous fears, for he knew 
he could not overcome so great a number, he began 
the battle; and that day, though the Jews showed 
great courage in the conflict, and many fell wounded 
and dead on both sides, Judas himself was killed at 
last, and his men were forced to flee. 

When the day was over, his brothers came, and 
finding the body, took it away and buried it by the 
side of his father, in the city of Modin. And all the 



258 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

people bewailed him with great lamentation, and 
sorrowed for him many days, saying : "How is the 
mighty man fallen, that saved the people of Israel!" 

Another of the Machabees, Jonathan, the brother 
of Judas, now became leader of the Jews, and after 
a while the country was, for a time, at peace, and 
better days seemed in store for the land of Israel. 

Several years now passed; and again the enemy 
came into the country, but were defeated and driven 
away. 

But shortly after, Jonathan was invited to go to a 
certain city. Suspecting no treachery, he went, ac- 
companied by only a few of his men. When he 
entered the place, the gates were closed by the 
enemy hidden within, he was made prisoner, and all 
the men with him were killed. 

Great was the consternation and anger of the 
Jews when they learned of this; but they were un- 
able to rescue him, for the city was strong, and the 
walls thick and high. 

In the meantime, Simon, another of the Macha- 
bees, took the place of his brother Jonathan, and 
was leader of the Jewish army. 

Messengers came to Simon from the people who 
had taken his brother ; and they said to him : "We 
have not killed Jonathan ; we are only holding him a 
prisoner for a certain sum of money that he owes us. 
Now then, send one hundred thousand dollars and 
Jonathan's two sons, and we will give him back to 
you safe and sound." 

Simon feared they were lying and would not re- 
store his brother; still he sent the money and the 
two boys. 



HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 259 

Sure enough, shortly after the money was re- 
ceived, Jonathan and both his sons were put to 
death. 

Simon secured the body of his brother, and 
buried it at Modin, by the side of Judas and his 
father. 

The enemy soon after left the country, and the 
land rested in peace. 

Simon enlarged the bounds of his nation, and 
under his rule the people prospered and were happy 
for some time longer. 

After several years, Simon, the last of the Macha- 
bees, finding himself old and no longer vigorous, 
gave the command of the army to his son John, a 
man brave and strong like himself. 

On one occasion, about this time, Simon, taking 
his other two sons, went around the land to see that 
all things were well, and he came to the city of 
Jericho. 

In this city dwelt a certain man, who was wicked 
and treacherous. This man invited Simon and his 
sons into his house, and prepared a great banquet in 
their honor. But in the meantime, and before the 
dinner began, he hid some armed men in the hall, 
and in the very midst of the feast, while all were en- 
joying themselves, these men fell upon Simon and 
his sons, and killed them as they sat at the table. 
And so perished the last of the great brothers who so 
bravely fought for the freedom of Israel. 

John, who now became high priest and leader of 
the Jews, fought many battles, and made for him- 
self a great and glorious name, as those had done 
who went before him. 

And now we come to the last days of Israel. 



DEC 20 *9!3 

260 HALF HOUR WITH GOD'S HEROES 

At the end of some years, the Jewish people fell 
away again from the love and service of God, and 
fought among themselves; and war and bloodshed 
reigned amongst them. 

Then, at last, the Romans, a powerful nation from 
across the seas, came and took possession of the 
(and of Israel, captured the city of Jerusalem, and 
became masters of the whole country. 

All the world was sunk in the darkness of idolatry 
and sin ; the Jews themselves were given up to evil, 
and there seemed but little good upon earth. The 
few just men, scattered about, prayed that God 
would do something to make the world better, and 
to help them out of the darkness and wickedness 
that seemed to be everywhere. And their prayer 
was answered; for now the time had come when 
the Saviour was to appear. 

Herod sat upon the throne of the Jews, placed 
there by the Romans; all wars had ceased for the 
time; and Christ, the Son of God, came from His 
throne in Heaven, came upon earth, and was born, 
a little child, in Bethlehem of Juda — and the Old 
Law was at an end forever. 



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